


Takumi no Eri

by gusdefrog



Series: Animephile [2]
Category: Multi-Fandom, No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: F/M, Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 08:25:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 45,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10918050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gusdefrog/pseuds/gusdefrog
Summary: He was stunning. She stopped and stared up at him, and he grinned down at her.After a moment he pulled the lollipop from his mouth and asked lightly, "want a kiss?"She nodded wordlessly.





	1. At First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> # Takumi no Eri
> 
> たくみ の えり  
>  _'Close-up of Collision' or 'Skill of the River Fish Trap' depending on your translator. Both fit well enough._
> 
> K.A.H.D. © 2017
> 
> Warning: Some Explicit Content.  
> Names are in oriental order, last first.  
> Japanese suffixes used here and there.
> 
> >_> So... this is a descendant tale of the other Animephile Kiri, and will be followed by Mizuki's Sky. Thanks to my friends and family for keeping me alive to spend time this way.  
> 

They got separated at the stairs. Eri was reluctantly letting Chisa drag her along to a group date for the afternoon, but Chisa disappeared through the restaurant doors as Eri came face to face with a man.

He was stunning. She stopped and stared up at him, and he grinned down at her.

After a moment he pulled the lollipop from his mouth and asked lightly, "want a kiss?"

She nodded wordlessly.

He grinned wider, pulled a wrapper from his pocket and stuffed it back into his red leather jacket with the lollipop inside. Then he reached out to the handrail at either side and leaned forward and down to drop a soft kiss on her lips.

She gazed up at him when he withdrew.

The person behind her her protested her immobility and other people were trying to follow him out of the restaurant, so after a breathless moment he released his hold on the rails and stepped down beside her.

He drew her into his arms and pulled her to one side against the rails. People began squeezing past and he glanced down into her face, to find her gaze still locked on his. He grinned and asked with amusement, "in or out?"

"What?" she asked blankly.

"Are we going in or out?" he asked as he gazed down at her.

"Oh," she said after a moment, "I need to go in."

"OK," he replied agreeably and swung around with her still tucked under his arm. He guided her up the stairs into the restaurant he'd just exited.

Eri quickly located Chisa at a table midway along the dining area. She looked at the man whose arm was wrapped around her waist and indicated her friend. He smiled and shifted in that direction, and they walked over to the table together.

Chisa said to the pair of girls across the table in an outraged tone, "What's she doing here? I told you I was bringing Eri today!"

The more handsome of the three young men seated at the near side of the table said laughingly, "what does it matter, the more pretty girls the better!"

"Group date?" The man holding her murmured the inquiry into Eri's ear softly.

Eri blushed and nodded, and quickly interrupted Chisa as she started to speak again. "Chisa, I don't mind, I didn't really want to come anyway."

Alarmed by Eri's complacent withdrawal, Chisa spun and gasped in surprise. "Who are you?" she asked the stranger with his arm around Eri's waist.

He grinned and replied promptly, "Takeshi Takumi, and you don't have to worry about the numbers in your gathering being off, because I'm taking the best girl away before you start." He pulled Eri against him and hugged her tightly.

Eri blushed and looked at Chisa uncertainly. Chisa stared at her with such utter surprise that Eri asked, "is it OK? Do you need me to stay with you?"

Chisa shook her head and then looked the guy over. He was a little over medium height and really pretty, if you liked that kind. She preferred men with stronger features and more muscle, but she'd been trying to get Eri to take interest in anyone for so long now that she wasn't going to complain.

After a moment she wordlessly took a seat at the table and pulled out her phone and scribbled something quickly.

The guy who'd spoken up before laughed and asked incredulously, "the best one?"

Eri felt the notification vibration when Chisa's message reached her a moment later, and Chisa looked up at the guy and glared at him.

He smirked back at her, and said, "this one is cuter."

Takumi replied confidently, "absolutely the best, not realizing it is your loss." Then he gently guided Eri back out of the restaurant, down the steps outside, and onto the pavement.

There, she halted and he stopped and looked back at her questioningly. She asked uncertainly, "where are we going?"

He arched an eyebrow at her and suggested, "somewhere we can talk? On a date? What's the rest of your name Eri-chan?" He grinned at her.

She blushed a little and replied quickly, "Mitsui Eri." She pulled out her phone and read Chisa's message. She went scarlet and shoved her phone back into her pocket.

He looked at her quizzically.

Eri shook her head and then asked abruptly, "why did you kiss me?"

Takumi grinned at her and replied, "because you got aroused just by looking at me."

She gasped and took a step backward. He let her go and said sardonically, "you asked."

"How could you even think you know something like that!?" she demanded.

He looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked uncertainly, "are you asking seriously or are you just too embarrassed by it?"

She gazed up at him, though he was only about six inches taller than she was when standing on flat ground, and replied after a moment, "I'm really embarrassed and I really don't understand." Her gaze dropped to the pavement at their feet.

He looked at her for a moment and then gently reached out for her hands. She let him take them but glanced up at him nervously and he said quietly, "your pupils expanded, and your breathing changed," he grinned, glanced at her breasts and added, "among other things."

"Really?" she asked dubiously. "And you could see that?"

He grinned at her and suggested, "let me kiss you again and maybe you'll be able to see it in me?"

She stared at him for so long that he wondered if he should say something, and then she nodded.

He pulled her closer and kissed her again gently until he felt her response begin to arouse him and then he pulled back and looked into her face.

She gazed seriously into his face and said, "I can't tell if your eyes changed."

He bit his lip and tried not to laugh as he replied, "I'm a guy, I'm pretty sure if you look down you'll be able to tell I'm getting aroused even if you missed the change in my pupils."

She glanced down and blushed and looked away in embarrassment.

He hugged her and she didn't resist so he whispered, "I'd really like to keep kissing you. What would you like to do?"

She looked up at him and said uncertainly, "I'm kind of hungry."

He blinked at her. Then he laughed and said, "I guess you were on your way into the restaurant. Do you want to go back?"

She shrugged and he asked, "is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?"

She shook her head but then said tentatively, "maybe something sweet? Those taiyaki smell delicious." She pointed out the stall when he turned to look.

He tucked his arm back around her waist and pulled her over to it. She ordered one, then hesitated and asked, "do you want one?"

He shook his head and they found a place to stand in the shade while she nibbled at it. He pulled the lollipop back out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth again. It was a warm day for the season and she asked abruptly, "isn't that jacket hot?"

He grinned at her and shrugged it off. "A little," he agreed, adding, "it's my riding jacket."

He was wearing a button down shirt beneath the jacket, and a tie. Puzzled, she looked at him and asked, "riding jacket?"

He grinned at her again and replied, "for my motorcycle?" Then he asked teasingly, "want a ride? Can I take you home?"

She looked at him consideringly and he waited.

"OK," she agreed, feeling a little disappointed.

He didn't know quite what to make of her tone, but when she'd finished eating he found a bin for her paper and his stick, then he guided her to where his bike was parked and asked, "have you ridden before?"

She shook her head and he said lightly, "OK, we'll start with the helmet."

He had two, one hanging at the front of the bike and a second strapped to the passenger seat. He tried the extra one on her first, but then swapped it for his own. "It really ought to be more snug for safety, but this will be OK for a short ride," he told her seriously.

Then he zipped her into his jacket and when she complained, "it's hot," he laughed at her.

He met her offended look complacently and replied, "I know, but the wind chill on the bike will surprise you, and it's much safer if anything does happen. I'd love to promise that you'll be perfectly safe, but that would be the one time something did happen, and sometimes other drivers are stupid. When we're driving, keep your arms around my waist, centered low, not up high."

She looked anxious then and he hugged her and assured her, "don't worry." Then he pulled on the other helmet and instructed her how to mount behind him.

She climbed on awkwardly and settled her arms around him. He laughed and and looked over his shoulder and said teasingly, "not that I dislike it, but if you hold onto me like this we're not going anywhere safely."

Confused, she asked, "why?"

He reached down and pressed her fingers more tightly against the place she was touching him, so that she could feel his response. She gasped and let go of him entirely and he laughed helplessly for a moment.

Embarrassed she told him accusingly, "you said to keep my arms low!"

He nodded and agreed, with amusement, "I did, and you should, but maybe you could aim for my waistband."

She very hesitantly wrapped her arms back around him and he patted her hands reassuringly before he started the bike and pulled sedately out into traffic.

At the first light he asked a little anxiously over his shoulder, "are you doing OK?"

She nodded her head against his back and then replied enthusiastically, "it is noisier than I expected, but it isn't nearly as scary as I was afraid it might be."

At the second light she asked, puzzled, "where are we going?"

Confused, he replied, "home?"

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Is that OK?" he asked.

After a moment he felt her nod against his back again, and when the light changed he went ahead.

They pulled into an underground parking area and Takumi had her dismount, then he finished parking and helped her remove the helmet and jacket. He put the helmets back onto the bike, pulled some things out of the side case, and locked it down before turning back to her.

She looked at him uncertainly and said, "when you said you were taking me home, I thought you meant my home."

"I don't know where you live," he pointed out dryly.

She blushed and replied, "I know, I just didn't know how noisy it was going to be, I thought we'd be able to talk along the way more like on a bicycle, and you'd ask on the way."

He reached out and touched her cheek gently and asked, "do you want me to take you to your home instead?"

She shrugged and started to say something, but stopped. She started over and replied with embarrassment, "I don't mind coming here, but I don't want you to assume," she looked at him and blushed again, but he just waited patiently, and she finished quietly, "I don't want you to think I came to have sex with you."

He smiled at her and replied, "I'm not going to tell you that I wouldn't love to have sex with you, but I'm not going to force you into anything, if you don't want to do anything, we don't have to."

"OK," she agreed.

He slid his arm around her and guided her over to the elevators. He selected the 8th floor and the doors closed smoothly. She looked up at him nervously and he asked teasingly, "scared?"

Startled she replied honestly, "no, but I'm a little nervous. I've never visited anyone I haven't known for at least a semester."

He looked at her with such surprise that she added nervously, "I haven't really dated very much."

That made him laugh again and he replied, "I can tell."

She winced and he hugged her against him and said reassuringly, "don't worry about it. I've probably dated too much, so between us we're just average."

The elevator opened before she could think of a reply and he pulled her out into the corridor and around the corner where he came to an abrupt halt. She looked up at him in surprise and then followed his gaze down the hall. A woman who'd been sitting against one of the doors started climbing to her feet, and Takumi's arm tightened on Eri uncomfortably.

Rather harshly he asked, "what the hell are you doing here Kasumi?"

She was pretty and curvaceous, and cute when she turned to them and pouted at Takumi. "You're replacing me with a little girl?" she asked petulantly.

"I'm not replacing you, you broke up with me three months ago!" he exclaimed angrily.

Kasumi looked away guiltily, but then looked back and declared, "that was partly your fault!"

"Um, should I leave?" Eri asked anxiously.

"No!" Takumi exclaimed with alarm, but then he looked at her worried face and added, while loosening his grip on her, "you can leave if want to, but please stay?"

Kasumi gasped and yelled, "you're asking her to stay? We were together for a year and you still wouldn't ask me to stay!"

Takumi looked at her then took a deep breath and replied almost calmly, "I'm sorry Kasumi. Why are you here waiting in front of my door?"

Angrily she stomped toward them and stopped in front of Takumi and replied, "because I thought maybe I'd been wrong! But you're such a jerk!" She didn't wait for a reply, but stomped around the corner and into the elevator.

Eri looked after her anxiously and then back at Takumi.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair and asked hesitantly, "will you come in?"

She replied blankly, "what?"

He offered her a tremulous smile and replied, "to my apartment?" He let the smile fade and added, "I completely understand if you don't want to."

She shrugged and said, "well, we're already here."

He kissed her forehead suddenly, and then walked over to unlock his door. She followed him after a moment.


	2. Inside

Inside she stood still and looked around curiously for a few moments. He hung his jacket up and then watched her for a moment. "Do you want anything to drink? Are you still hungry?" he asked a little abruptly.

She looked at him and grinned and asked, "do you have any soda, or tea?"

He said a little regretfully, "no soda, but I do have tea. I'll make you some."

She watched him for a moment as he put the things he'd carried in away and started hot water, and then commented, "this is a really small apartment."

It was basically one room, though a small bathroom was partitioned off next to the door. His bed occupied most of the far end of the room, with a TV mounted on the wall at its foot. The area where he was making tea had a single counter with a sink and a little stove top. A small refrigerator and some other appliances were crammed in below the counter, and above it were a set of narrow raised cabinets. A small traditional square table was pushed up against the wall on the other side. The far wall, beyond the bed, was all glass and opened onto a tiny balcony.

He smiled hesitantly at her when he handed her the cup of tea and said, "I chose it for the view, and the bath."

"The bath?" she asked.

He gestured to the bathroom and she walked back to it and peered in. "Nice," she said after briefly examining the deep soaking tub complete with jets and a variety of controls.

When she walked back out he was sitting on the edge of the bed and she stopped and looked at him.

He shrugged and said, "there isn't really anywhere to sit besides the bed. If you're uncomfortable we don't have to stay here."

She asked, "is it OK to go out on the balcony?"

He nodded quickly, but added, "it's windy."

She edged around the bed and looked out across the city. "It must be amazing at night," she offered.

"It is," he replied with a grin. "You're welcome to stay and see?"

She blushed and shrugged, then slid open the door and stepped out. The deck of the balcony vibrated beneath her feet and she shrieked and grabbed the rail.

He was off the bed and holding her a moment later. He looked at her with concern and asked, "what happened?"

It took her a moment to unclench her teeth enough to answer, and then she said, "I don't know, it vibrated and I got scared."

He frowned and said, "it vibrates in the wind, but it's perfectly sturdy." He stamped on it to demonstrate.

"Please don't do that," she begged.

He laughed a little and said, "if you're scared, let go of the rail and come back in."

"I can't," she almost wailed.

"What?" he asked alarmed.

She shivered in his arms and said tearfully, "I can't make my hands let go."

He bent and asked quietly against her ear, "if you're this scared of heights, why did you come out?"

"I'm not scared of heights!" She refuted immediately, but then added anxiously, "but apparently I'm afraid of balconies, I really can't let go."

He laughed and moved his hands out to cover her tightly clenched ones. He kissed her cheek and said reassuringly, "I'm right here, you're fine."

She took a shuddering breath and then somehow managed to transfer one hand from clutching the bar to clutching his hand.

They stood like that for a moment and then he suggested, "now the other one?"

"I know!" she exclaimed. "Give me another minute?" she asked faintly.

Amused, he replied, "take your time."

After a moment she managed to transfer her other hand from the bar to his hand and he pulled her back into the apartment and down onto a corner of the bed.

"I feel so embarrassed," she said after a moment.

He leaned in and kissed her, then stood and shut the door. When he turned back to her he said, "don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure I feel just as embarrassed about the scene in the hall."

She opened her mouth and then shut it again.

He crawled onto the bed behind her and leaned against the padded headboard. He stretched out his legs, and then asked, "you're not going to ask?"

She turned and looked at him, then replied anxiously, "there are a million things I want to ask, but I don't know if I should."

"A million?" he repeated laughingly. Then he suggested with an arch of his brow, "just start by asking one at a time?"

Hesitantly she crawled onto the bed and settled beside his knee. He looked at her ruefully.

"She said you never asked her to stay, why not?" she asked.

He said, "it's a silly reason." He looked away and swallowed and then replied with embarrassment, "my mother's bandmate Rin always said he'd never ask a woman to stay, and according to his wife he never has. And my father said that was stupid, that when it mattered you should ask for what you want, that if my mother ever decided to leave him he'd beg her to stay on his knees. But I always thought it was cool." He looked back at her and said, "so I decided I'd never ask either."

"But," she started to object.

He interrupted, "my father was right. I really didn't want you to leave, and I didn't care if it was cool or not when I asked you to stay."

She looked at him dubiously and he shrugged and said, "I don't know why." Then he suggested with a grin, "maybe I fell in love with you at first sight?"

She made a face at him and he leaned forward and touched her cheek for a moment.

"I really want to kiss you again," he said.

She looked at him for a moment then asked, "why did you bring me to your apartment?"

He shrugged and replied, "I thought it would be comfortable, private, and I might cook you dinner later."

She gazed at him dubiously and asked, "how many women have you dated?"

He winced and replied, "lots. Do you really want me to answer that?" She nodded and he asked doubtfully, "do I need to include one night stands?"

She looked at him with shock and he said, "sorry."

"I don't want to be a one night stand," she replied abruptly.

"Marry me then," he replied teasingly.

"That's not funny," she said unhappily.

"It's not completely a joke either," he said softly. "I really haven't ever asked a girl to stay when she wanted to leave before."

She stared at him and then objected, "we don't even know each other!"

He grinned and scooted closer to her and said softly, "that's why you should date me until we know each other well enough to get married."

She leaned in until their noses almost touched and replied seriously, "I am feeling way too anxious to agree to anything right now."

He sat back and said ruefully, "I'm sorry. What can I do to make you feel less anxious?"

She sat there watching him for a moment and then suggested, "tell me your dating history?"

"That will take a long time," he replied reluctantly.

"Do you have other plans tonight?" she asked curiously.

He grinned at her again and said, "no. OK, I will tell you if you're sure you want to know?"

She nodded and said, "yes."

He started at the beginning, with his first girlfriend. After he'd covered high school, he stopped and asked, "should I make dinner or would you rather go out?"

"I'm not hungry yet?" she said uncertainly.

"Well if I'm cooking there are some things I should start now, so they have a couple hours before I actually make dinner," he explained.

"OK," she agreed.

"OK what?" he asked laughingly. "Should I cook or should we go out?"

"Cook," she replied.

"Testing my skills?" he asked lightly.

"Maybe," she answered seriously, "if your food is good I can put that in the plus if-I-date-you column?"

"Is there anything in that column yet?" he asked dryly, and crawled off the bed.

She laid back and gazed at his ceiling for a moment before answering. He started rummaging through his cupboards and his refrigerator for the ingredients he wanted.

Finally she replied, "you are really pretty. I like it when you kiss me. You've answered everything I've asked you so far. And you seem to be telling me the truth I think?"

He stopped what he was doing and said, "I'd really like to kiss you again right now." She looked over at him and he added, "and I have been telling you the truth, which I would probably say if I were lying, but I'm not."

Eri laughed and crawled off the bed. He looked surprised when she walked up to him, and stunned when she kissed him. After a moment he set down the bowl he was holding and pulled her up tight against him and kissed her thoroughly.

She gasped when he let her go and picked up the bowl again. "You really should agree to at least date me if you're going to let me kiss you like that," he said with a grin.

She blushed. She retreated to the far side of the bed and looked out at the city. He sighed and resumed the narrative of his dating history.

"It's almost sunset," she commented after a little while.

"Are you even listening anymore or am I rambling on about ancient history for no reason now?" he asked.

She regarded him dryly and replied, "you just finished telling me about your 18th girlfriend, not counting one night stands."

Takumi asked uncomfortably, "you're keeping count?"

She just nodded.

"Why does it matter who I've dated or for how long?" he asked.

She looked over at him and answered seriously, "it probably doesn't. But you started out by kissing me, then you brought me to your apartment, and then there was that scene... And then you say something like you want me to marry you? I don't know what to think. And it may not make any sense, but it does make me feel less anxious to know your history?"

He replied wryly, "I'm a little surprised it doesn't make you feel more anxious."

"How many people have you asked to marry you?" she asked suddenly.

He looked at her and replied seriously, "you're not going to believe me."

She gazed back at him dubiously.

"I don't want to tell you," he said unhappily.

"OK," she agreed.

"Is it really?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied calmly. "I'd much rather have you say you don't want to tell me something than tell me a lie instead."

"Alright," he agreed. And added with a laugh, "I'll tell you someday though." After a few minutes he resumed his narration.

When he finished his preparations he climbed back onto the bed and sat against the headboard again. He smiled at her when she cautiously crawled over and cuddled against him. He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, letting the short soft curls bounce as they slipped off his fingertips.

He kissed her hesitantly and she didn't pull away immediately. But after a little bit she said, "you haven't finished telling me."

He told her the rest, while Eri laid against his shoulder and enjoyed the soft hum of his voice, and finally he reached the the part where he talked about the woman from the hall.

"Kasumi really seemed to like me at first, and we had fun, but after about half a year she decided I was too boring," he paused and looked at Eri a little anxiously.

"OK?" she replied uncertainly.

"I thought maybe it was partly my fault, maybe I was being unbearably boring. I like routine. I like having a job where I go to work at the same time everyday, I like getting to plan my vacations and visit amazing places, then come home and sleep in my own bed and resume my ordinary life." He said bitterly, "I tried to do more things she wanted because I wanted to be in love with her."

"And now you want to be in love with me?" Eri asked uncomfortably.

He reached out and touched her face lightly, and laughed a little. "No," he replied firmly.

"You don't want to be in love with me?" she asked with confusion.

"I was joking about first sight, mostly, but there's definitely attraction and more," he replied seriously. "I really want you to like me as well as want me."

She shrugged and replied uncomfortably, "sorry, I don't know yet."

He grinned at her and said, "it's OK." Then he continued, "anyway, it's different, I wanted to be in love with her because she was beautiful and she could make me laugh, but I wasn't really. I just thought if I gave it more time, took her to more places she liked, and tried to work it out instead of giving up. If we could adapt to each other…" he said wistfully.

Eri looked at him unhappily and he said, "I'm sorry. Anyway, she just got more frustrated with me." He closed his eyes and grimaced, "and the way she broke up with me was horrible. I got home early one day and found her having sex with another man in my apartment. She claimed I was being annoyingly clingy, and that I didn't own her and that at least he wasn't boring." He opened his eyes and looked at Eri and said, "if you ever want to break up with me, just tell me, I'll believe you."

"OK," Eri agreed uncomfortably.

He touched her cheek and then kissed her lightly. Her eyes darkened a little and her lips reddened from just that much, and he looked at her and grinned and said, "you're so cute. I really could fall for you."

"I don't see how you can think you're falling in love with me already," she told him unhappily.

He looked at her and replied thoughtfully, "I don't know, but I've lusted after plenty of women. This feels a little different?"

"24 girlfriends and 19 one night or one weekend stands," she listed.

He winced and corrected, "21 then, I um, added a couple more after Kasumi left."

She sighed and he said unhappily, "I really don't think telling you all this was a good idea."

"I do," she replied firmly.

"Well, maybe it is a good warning for you, but," he began again.

She leaned in and kissed him. He gave her a confused look. "Even if I think you're wrong about falling in love with me so quickly," she reached up and touched his face, "you've slowed down on dating as you got older, and it sounds like you really did make an effort to make things work."

He nodded uncertainly, and she lowered her fingers and kissed him again.

"And you never said you cheated on anyone," she added.

"No," he agreed, and leaned in to kiss her.

She shyly reached up and pulled him closer as they kissed again.

He trailed kisses along her jaw and then murmured against her ear, "please at least agree to try dating me."

"OK," she agreed calmly.

He grinned at her and kissed her again. After a little while he shifted uncomfortably. When he did it again a few minutes later, she sat up and asked, "what's wrong?"

He wordlessly reached out and pulled her hand to where she could feel his reaction to her. She blushed and snatched her fingers back like they'd been burned.

"It's OK, I know you don't want to have sex yet," he said reassuringly.

She looked away and said uncomfortably, "I'd kind of like to try it, I think."

He laughed and pulled her up tight against him and said, "it's not something you're going to be able to try a little of and stop. If I start now I don't think I'll be able to stop even if you cry and say you hate it."

She bit her lip and said shyly, "OK, then I'd kind of like to do it?"

He groaned and said a little roughly, "don't say that unless you mean it, I'm serious." Then suddenly anxious he asked, "how old are you even?"

She looked at him and laughed, and asked teasingly, "are you worried?"

He nodded and told her, "my father got arrested when he was dating my mother because she was still only 17 when they started. They just laugh when they talk about it, but I think it would be awful."

She grinned and replied, "I'm 20."

"Thank god," he whispered and hugged her tightly.

"You must be about 25?" she asked uncertainly. He raised an eyebrow at her and she added, "you don't look any older than that, but you said you got your degree several years ago."

"26," he corrected. Then he released her and she looked at him uncertainly. He leaned over the edge of the bed and sat up with a condom between his fingers.

She blushed and stared at it.

"Shall we?" he asked.

She bit her lip, then nodded.


	3. Now

He kissed her and pulled her closer. Then he looked at her with a worried expression and asked, "are you still a virgin?"

She winced and asked, "if I say I am are you going to stop?"

"No," he replied firmly. "I already warned you I'm not going to stop if we start," he reminded her and kissed her again.

She nodded.

"If you are, I want to try and make you come before I do it, I've been told it hurts less that way," he said quietly.

She blushed again and looked away. "I am," she admitted.

He asked seriously, "why did you decide you want to all of a sudden?"

She laughed and said, "I don't know, it's from kissing you so much?"

He abruptly slid his hands under her shirt and started to pull it off. "I'm not going to stop," he warned her again.

She laughed and replied, "OK."

"You're sure you want me to?" he asked as he removed her bra.

"I want you to," she agreed.

"Gods you're beautiful," he whispered as he looked at her laying half naked on his bed.

She shook her head and replied shyly, "I think you're way prettier than I am."

He started removing her jeans and replied with a wry grin, "if you tell me you think you're fat, I'm going to laugh at you and make you cheesecakes."

She gasped as he slid her underwear off and said breathlessly, "I'm really tempted to tell you I think I'm fat now."

He bent and kissed the tops of her feet as he slid her socks off and replied, "you're lovely from head to toe, and you can have cheesecakes if you want them."

"This is embarrassing, being naked while you're still dressed," she said a little anxiously.

He looked up at her face and asked quickly, "do you want to undress me or would you rather I just strip?"

She blushed and asked, "can you just take off your clothes?"

"Sure," he agreed and stripped quickly at the end of the bed.

The light changed and shifted toward red as he crawled up the bed above her and she glanced toward the windows and said, "we're missing the sunset."

He slid his hand behind her head and said quietly, "I'm not missing anything, I'm watching the light on your skin."

She glanced down and blushed, and he followed her gaze and grinned. He rubbed against her. She watched him with open mouthed fascination and he watched her face as he used his fingers to spread her open and stroke her.

After a moment she whispered, "the condom?"

"I won't forget," he promised. "I don't want it to dry out while I'm getting you to climax."

He slid down her body and ran his tongue over her erect nipples while his fingers caressed her in a repetitive pattern.

She writhed and groaned beneath his caresses and he murmured against her breast, "do you want me to suck?"

"Yes?" she replied uncertainly.

He did and she moaned and arched into him. He shifted his hand and dipped into her wetness and spread it upward with his fingers. The combined sensations triggered something and she gasped and shivered.

He ripped open the condom and slid it on while the sensation faded, and he mounted her just as she drew in her first breath.

She gasped again as he broke through and he asked, "are you OK?"

She nodded after a moment, and he leaned in and kissed her hard.

He thrust into her repeatedly until her whole body quivered and he felt her tighten and he panted into her mouth as he neared his own climax, then moaned and bit her as he came.

She stared at him wide eyed when he withdrew and he asked her a little anxiously, as he cleaned the mess up, "did it hurt too much? Was I too rough? I wasn't able to hold back much."

She laughed and he stared at her with surprise. "It did hurt a little, but it was amazing, no wonder people like sex so much," she replied when she'd stopped laughing.

He smiled and kissed her again.

Then he got dressed, filled the tub for her and cooked supper while she bathed. She dressed and came out, and stared at him as he arranged their plates. "Are you a chef?" she enquired after a moment.

He laughed and told her with a grin, "no, but my father taught me to cook and my mother's uncle is a chef and I worked for him a little during some summers. Do you cook?"

She shrugged and replied, "a little, but not as prettily as this."

He smiled and said, "I like to cook as long as I don't have to do it every day."

"What do you do for work?" she asked curiously.

He glanced at her and replied, "I'm a business accountant."

She blinked and said, "you don't look like an accountant."

He laughed and asked teasingly, "what does an accountant look like?"

She shrugged and replied, "well the stereotype doesn't wear red leather jackets and ride motorcycles?"

He grinned and told her, "It's probably a defensive reaction to our parents jobs. My little brother is a lawyer."

She gazed at him questioningly and he explained, "my mother is a musician and my father is a manager at a publishing company. Neither of them have ever had the same schedule for two weeks in a row. They somehow managed it so that one or the other of them was always there when ever we had a school event or got sick or anything but you could never guess which one would come, so both of their children chose predictable boring careers."

Eri pondered for a moment and then said, "one of my uncle's is a lawyer, I'm not sure boring or predictable is a good description for his job. How is a business accountant different from a regular accountant?"

He shrugged and replied, "it's not very different. It pays a little better. Since it's mostly dealing with accounts at a corporate level there are a few differences in which government schedules we file under and such, but it's still pretty similar to the accounting done on smaller scales."

"Why did you choose accounting?" she asked after a moment. "Do you really like math?"

Takumi laughed and replied, "most of the math is done by computers. I chose my career by looking up jobs that paid enough to go on the kind of vacations I wanted and gave enough time off to do it. Then I just selected the one that seemed easiest."

He shrugged, then asked, "what do you do?"

Eri replied reluctantly, "I'm just going to college, and I'm already in my second year and I have no idea what I want to do."

"Your parents are paying for it?" he asked.

Embarrassed, she nodded and replied, "yes." She added quickly, "but I don't make them pay for anything else anymore. I've taken jobs during the summer and I work a few hours each Saturday."

He asked a little hesitantly, "are you just going because they want you to?"

She shook her head and replied, "they do want me to, but I'm going because I promised Chisa that I'd go with her." She glanced down at her plate and added, "but she doesn't really need me there anymore, she's made a lot of new friends and belongs to a couple of clubs besides taking classes."

Takumi asked, "you haven't made any new friends or joined any clubs?"

Eri shrugged and replied, "I've met a lot of people, and during the first year I joined the same clubs as Chisa, but I didn't really enjoy it, so this year I didn't join any."

She glanced at him and added quickly, "but I do have a hobby."

"Oh?" he enquired with interest.

She blushed and admitted, "I play a keyboard. My mother's elderly musician friend arranged a couple of background music recordings that I actually got paid for while I was a teenager, but it's really just a hobby."

He suggested, "you could turn it into a job?"

She shook her head and replied, "I tried taking some of the music courses at our college, and I hated it. I don't think I want to try to make it into my job if it means playing becomes a chore."

"OK," he replied easily. She looked at him and he said with a grin, "that's how I feel about cooking, I don't like doing it as a job." And then he collected their dishes.

She stood up and said, "I'll help wash."

He gave her a searching look and asked, "are you feeling OK?"

She looked at him blankly and replied, "I'm fine? Why? Did you poison our supper?"

He laughed and pulled her close and and whispered, "down there, I meant, are you in any pain?"

She blushed and shook her head. They washed the dishes and then sat on the edge of the bed closest to the balcony and watched the city lights.

"It's beautiful," she complimented after watching for a while.

He reached over and ran his fingers through her hair and replied, "not as beautiful as you are."

She glanced at him and replied, "or you've just become used to it."

He pouted at her and asked, "why do you dislike being complimented?"

She shrugged and replied, "I don't know, it's uncomfortable."

He slid his hands around her waist and asked, "does that mean I should keep complimenting you until you get used to it, or stop?"

"I don't know," she replied and leaned into him.

He kissed her and then asked, "are you spending the night?"

Startled, she withdrew and asked hesitantly, "do you want me to?"

"Absolutely," he replied, then suggested, "you could stay even longer."

"You want to do more?" she guessed.

"I do," he agreed and leaned over to kiss her again. "I want to sleep beside you too."

"You don't even know if I snore yet," she replied grumpily.

He grinned at her and replied, "I don't plan to find out for hours yet either." He kissed her and ran his hands down her back.

She told him, "wait a minute," when he slid his hands under her shirt.

"OK?" he agreed curiously.

She called her parents and told them that she was not coming home tonight, and she blushed and added, "maybe not until Sunday." Then she looked up at him and asked, "what's the address here?"

He told her and she repeated it for her parents. Then she blushed and answered firmly, "I will."

After she ended the call he asked, "what will you do?"

She looked at him with her cheeks flaming and didn't answer.

"Use protection?" he guessed.

She looked at him in surprise and nodded. He shrugged and she leaned over and started to take off his shirt. He grinned at her and slid his hands back under her shirt. He fondled her breasts and teased her nipples while he kissed her.

After a moment she stopped him and asked, "can you turn off the light first?"

He kissed her again and asked, "why? Are you feeling shy now?"

She shrugged and looked at the windows and said, "with the lights on, people can see in."

"I don't care," he told her laughingly.

"I care," she protested.

He grinned and stood up. He pulled back the covers on the bed, moved the pillows and and shut off the lights.

They didn't sleep until several hours later.

 

When she woke up he was pressing against her and when she turned in his arms he moaned and pulled her tighter against him. He arched his back and gasped as she slid her leg over his hip and let him slide into her as she mounted him.

His eyes snapped open and he asked, "condom?"

She slid off of him frantically. "Sorry," she replied anxiously, "I wasn't quite awake yet."

"Neither was I," he agreed ruefully and turned and pulled out a condom. "I need to go buy more when we get up," he added.

He coaxed her back onto him and caressed her breasts as she moved. After a minute she asked shyly, "can you put your hands back on my hips? It feels better."

He paused and asked, "I thought you were enjoying it when I was rubbing your breasts?"

"I do," she assured him, "but it feels different when you're holding my hips, I don't know why?"

He smiled and clasped her hips firmly and watched her as she moved. After a moment he said, "you really do like this better."

She gasped, "yes."

"How about this then?" he asked and sat up enough to get his mouth onto her nipple and suck. She started to come, and he shuddered and laughed and fell back against the pillows. "Don't stop moving," he begged.

Her body wouldn't respond as she quivered and she squeaked between gasps, "can't. move."

He thrust his hips up into her rocking her body and she cried out, her body vibrating uncontrollably as he rocked her. It triggered his release and they collapsed in a sweaty tangle.

"Gods," he breathed into her hair, "what a way to wake up."

"Sorry," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I'm not complaining!" he exclaimed. "I loved it. I love you." He rolled her back off of him enough to kiss her.

She smiled at him uncertainly, and he sat up and told her with a grin, "get used to it, I'm going to keep repeating it until you believe me. You are so freaking sexy and I love you already."

Instead of arguing she uncertainly suggested, "maybe I should start some kind of birth control?"

He laughed and agreed, "probably, if this is how we're going to start mornings very often."

He stood up and walked into the bathroom.

She looked at her phone and gasped, "we slept all morning!"

He called out, "is that a problem?"

"I have to be at work in an hour," she replied, grabbing her clothes and following him.


	4. Work

She stopped in the open doorway and looked away with embarrassment.

He finished emptying his bladder and looked at her with amusement. "You've already seen it all and had it inside you half a dozen times, what's there to be embarrassed about?" he teased.

She shrugged and he reached for her. She didn't avoid him but she didn't look at him again until he said, "sorry, I should have asked when you worked and offered to wash your clothes last night."

She shook her head hard enough that her curls bounced a little and replied, "it's my fault, I didn't imagine we'd sleep all morning." She blushed again as she added, "and other than underwear, my clothes don't matter, I'll change into my uniform when I get there."

"Should I make you breakfast? Where do you work? And can we continue this after you get done?" he asked in a rush.

"If it's quick," she said to breakfast. "I work an eight hour shift at the Delphoi," she said of her job.

"Posh," he commented.

"Only if you're a customer," she replied laughing.

"Eri, can I bring you back home with me when you're done?" he asked again.

"OK," she agreed.

She laughed at the bowl of cereal he presented her and he shrugged and pointed out, "it's quick."

"It is," she agreed.

He drove her to work and said when he helped her remove the helmet and jacket, "I need to buy you gear that fits properly."

She looked at him in surprise and he said, "I might be able to borrow a helmet that would fit you better, but I'd rather just get you your own."

"Um, OK?" she agreed hesitantly.

"Do you not like riding with me?" he asked.

"I like it," she replied quickly.

"Alright, let's go shopping tomorrow," he said with a grin. "I'll pick you up here tonight?"

She nodded and started to walk away but then ran back to him and he looked at her with surprise and she asked shyly, "your phone or message contact?"

He blushed and said, "sorry, my brain must not be working." They made the exchange quickly and then she ran into the employee entrance.

In the locker room she pulled on her uniform in the changing cubicle and gasped when Sato Kyohei blocked her way when she tried to exit it.

"Move, I'm going to be late," she complained.

He laughed and reached out and tugged her hair. "Agree to go on a date with me and I'll let you go," he said coaxingly.

"No," she replied shortly.

He frowned at her and complained, "you always say no."

"Move," she repeated.

His expression tightened but Mina came up beside him and said, "stop bothering Eri-chan or I'll report you for sexual harassment."

He looked over at her and replied mockingly, "somebody needs to get laid."

Eri slipped around him and out into the corridor.

Her shift went pretty normally. She was relieved when Sato worked with his usual efficiency and didn't bring it up again. On her lunch break she quietly scheduled an appointment for birth control after her last class on Monday.

When she finished she hurried out of the employee entrance and nearly screamed when someone stepped out from behind one of the cement columns and grabbed her arm.

Sato said seriously, "geez, you're so jumpy. It's just me."

"Let go of me," Eri replied quickly.

Instead of letting go he pulled her closer and said, "stop playing hard to get, it's getting old."

She kicked him in the shin and he let go of her with an offended expression. "No need to get violent!" he declared.

"Don't ever touch my girlfriend again," snapped Takumi, walking up and wrapping his arms around Eri.

Sato stared at him and asked, "what the hell!?"

Eri heaved a sigh and relaxed into Takumi's embrace. "You can put this in the plus column," she whispered.

He glanced down at her and laughed.

Sato announced in an offended tone, "she never said she had a boyfriend."

Takumi glared at him again and replied, "saying no should have been enough. I'm serious, don't ever touch her again."

Sato raised his hands and said, "no need to get pissy pretty boy."

Takumi didn't respond, and simply swung Eri around and walked her to his bike. "Feel like going out to dinner?" he asked as he fastened her buckles.

She shrugged and he paused and asked, "would you rather eat at home?"

She nodded, but then added, "but you said you don't like to cook everyday, so if you want to go out, it's fine."

"I want to buy a set of couple's rings tomorrow," he replied seriously.

She looked up at him with a confused expression and he told her, "I don't want creeps like that thinking you don't have a boyfriend anymore."

"Oh," she replied faintly.

"Will you wear one with me?" he asked plaintively.

"Alright," she agreed shyly.

"And I don't mind cooking every night on weekends," he assured her and kissed her. "I even went shopping in case," he told her with a grin.

She smiled back at him and then they arranged themselves on his bike and he drove them back to his apartment.


	5. Night and Day

They were still kissing when the elevator doors opened and an older woman struggling with two laundry baskets laughed and said cheerfully, "I see you're enjoying your youth Takeshi-kun."

Takumi grinned and handed Eri his key and his jacket. While she stared at him with a confused expression, he took one of the baskets and said, "I'll just walk Hiroshi-ba-san to the laundry and be right back. I'll have laundry to do tonight too, so we can wash your things as well."

"OK," Eri agreed shyly.

She let herself into Takumi's apartment, after the elevator closed again. She'd been a little afraid of getting the wrong door, but she'd chosen correctly.

She hung up his red leather jacket after successfully fumbling the lights on, and looked at the kitchenette counter with surprise. Next to the little jar of lollipops, like the one Takumi had been sucking on when she met him on the stairs, was a vase full of roses.

They scented the room strongly enough that she could smell them without walking over to sniff at them, but she walked over to them anyway and touched one. She grinned at the soft texture of the flower petal against her finger. Then she looked around the room and wondered where Takumi kept his dirty laundry. The things they'd discarded the night before had been picked up and the room tidied.

When he returned, she asked him and he laughed and beckoned her into the bathroom. He opened the tall cabinet where he kept towels and things and gestured to the bottom half which was filled by a tall square spring basket.

He leaned down and kissed her neck and said, "I'll find you something to wear, and take that down to start."

He was shocked when she couldn't squeeze into even his loosest set of pajama pants. She shrugged and asked him with embarrassment, "want to change your mind about me being too fat?"

"Absolutely not," he replied quickly. "I love your hips and tonight's dessert is cheesecake." He pulled her closer and kissed her belly, then released her and rummaged in another of the drawers that lined his bed frame and pulled out a faded yukata. He was relieved when he wrapped it around her and it overlapped sufficiently.

She removed the t-shirt she'd put on first and shrugged into the yukata. He wrapped around her and said, "you're so freaking cute right now."

She blushed and he kissed her.

Finally he released her and reluctantly carried off their laundry. She tried to turn on the TV after a few minutes of sitting on the bed gazing out at the city. After a few puzzled minutes unable to get it to show anything but a blank screen she gave up and turned it off again.

When Takumi returned again he immediately started working on preparing dinner. After watching him for a minute she said, "I tried to turn on your TV but I couldn't get anything but a blank screen?"

He looked up and laughed, and replied, "I don't have a subscription, or even have it hooked up to the net. I've got a bunch of music videos and movies in storage that I stream to it if I want to have something on. If you want TV we can hook it up and subscribe."

She shook her head and replied, "I don't watch it much either, I just felt a little weird sitting and waiting for you with nothing to do."

"I'll show you how to stream to it," he promised.

"OK," she replied and he grinned at her.

It didn't take him long to finish cooking, and he set the table up with the flowers in the center, flanked by two candles.

"Pretty," Eri said as she settled at the table.

Takumi grinned at her and shut off the lights.

They ate by candlelight. Takumi mentioned, "I also picked up a few types of soda for you, hopefully flavors you don't hate."

"Thank you," she replied quickly. "I don't think I'm very picky?"

"I like sweet things, so I don't mind drinking them if there are any you don't want, but I usually try not to keep too many around," he replied.

She commented, "I noticed your container of lollipops."

He grinned at her and replied, "those are sugar free."

Eri made a face at him and asked, "what's the point of sugarfree candy?"

He laughed and answered with a grin, "it's the same as sex with a condom, it isn't quite as wonderful, but it's still very good and it's much better for you."

She blushed and they fell silent for a little while.

Takumi asked after a bit, "what's your favorite color? What kind of music do you like? When's your birthday?"

Eri laughed and replied, "I want to know those things too. My favorite color is green, I like a little bit of everything but not everything of any particular category of music, and my birthday is the 20th of March."

He pouted at her and complained, "I missed it, you should have met me two months ago."

She giggled and replied, "I have one every year like everybody else."

"We'll do something fun for your next one," he promised. Then he answered his own questions, "my favorite color is red, I prefer classical or instrumental music, and my birthday is on July 22nd."

Eri grinned and replied, "I think I should have been able to guess the color."

Takumi laughed and took her plate. "Should I turn the lights back on or would you like to make love by candlelight?"

She blushed. He grinned at her and didn't ask again, he just finished clearing the table and then scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

He trailed kisses down her body as he unwrapped her. He cupped her breasts in his hands and fondled them with delight. She laughed and said breathlessly, "you really like to do that."

He glanced up at her and asked, "do you want me to be doing something different?"

She shrugged and replied with embarrassment, "I really like it when you suck lightly."

He moved his mouth to her nipple and spent longer there. He slid his hand between her thighs and commented, "that gets you wet really fast."

She looked away with embarrassment.

He scolded her gently saying, "Eri, I want to get you wet, I want to know what pleases you most. I love making you feel good."

She looked back at him and replied quickly, "me too." Shyly she asked, "what do you like best?"

He replied with a kiss and a grin, "being inside of you." He kissed her again and murmured, "especially when you're on top, it's so deep."

"Yes," she agreed.

He rolled onto his back and held out his hands invitingly. "Condom," she reminded him and he reached under his pillow and pulled one out and handed it to her.

She blushed and fumbled a little as she rolled it onto him and he groaned. "Sorry," she apologized.

"For what?" he asked, and told her seriously, "you can run your fingers along my cock any time."

"Takumi!" she protested.

He pulled her up onto him and she gasped as he slid into her. He grasped her hips and bent forward to suck on first one side and then the other. Soon she trembled with the first waves of orgasm and he waited patiently until it passed and then his fingers insisted that she move and she rocked her hips along his length until the second wave hit and he came with her.

He grinned at her afterward with such a smug expression that she hid her face against his shoulder.

"I love you," he said quietly and stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

He tensed and she continued unhappily, "I really like you a lot. And I love being with you. I just don't know yet."

He relaxed and cuddled her and said softly, "it's OK Eri, you don't have to say you love me until you're sure. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I want you to fall in love with me, I don't want you to lie and say you love me when you're not sure," he replied after a minute.

She pushed up and looked into his face and said anxiously, "I really do like you very much."

He grinned and said, "good." Then he rolled her over and held up another condom and asked, "more?"

"Already?" she asked faintly.

He frowned and asked, "am I doing too much to you? You haven't complained even though it was your first time last night."

"I like it," she said quickly, but then confessed, "but I feel sort of stretched? I don't know how to describe it…"

He kissed her and put the condom down. "Let's take a bath," he suggested.


	6. Water under the bridge.

She asked dubiously as the tub filled, "will we both fit?"

He bent and scooped her up and placed her in the tub. The water rose and then he climbed in behind her and pulled her into his lap and the water sloshed over into the overflow. He reached out and turned it off.

"We fit like this," he pointed out.

"You'll get me pregnant," she said a little anxiously.

He laughed and replied, "I won't slip it into you by accident."

"On purpose?" she asked.

He bit the tip of her ear lightly and replied comfortingly, "not until we get out."

When he washed her he laughed and said, but if you keep making noises like that, it may be a very short bath.

She wiggled and accused him, "you're doing it to me on purpose."

He tilted her head back and kissed her. "I love making you squeak and moan but don't wriggle like that, I'm so freaking hard that if you licked me I'd come."

"Stand up then?" she suggested.

He leapt to his feet and she bounced her head against the side as she tumbled off his lap. He gasped and pulled her into his arms and said, "sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I'm OK," she replied, "you can let me down."

It took more than a lick but not very much to make him come. And he sank back into the water with her with a contented sigh. He cuddled her against him and asked, "how on earth have you never had a boyfriend before."

She turned in his arms a little and replied with surprise, "I've had a boyfriend before." Her face was unhappy and he caressed her gently and asked, "feel like telling me about it?"

She shrugged and replied, "I made you tell me about all of your dating history."

He kissed her cheek and said, "asked, you asked me to. I'm only asking, you don't have to tell me."

Eri laid her head against his shoulder and said unhappily, "I loved him."

Takumi tightened his arms around her and didn't ask anything else.

After they climbed out of the tub and dried off, they crawled back into his bed and she cuddled up against his side with her head on his shoulder. He kissed her, and she said, "we dated for two years, sort of."

"Sort of?" he asked.

"We only ever met at school," she replied.

"Why?" he enquired gently.

She shrugged and told him, "I don't know, but I have guesses."

He raised an eyebrow and she sighed and started at the beginning. "I used to say hi, when I saw him. The first time it was just because I never saw anyone else say hi. He said hi back to me very politely. He acted like one of those guys who's always getting into fights and usually winds up joining a gang, except he didn't really. He never started anything the whole time I knew him, he just never apologized for anything to anyone either."

She looked up at Takumi and he kissed her.

After a minute she continued, "one day he told me I'd better stop saying hi to him or people would start assuming we were dating."

Embarrassed, she said quietly, "I asked what was wrong with that, and if he was worried about his reputation. He told me harshly that it wasn't his reputation he was worried about. So I said, 'let's date then.' He asked, 'why would you want to date a loser who's going nowhere?' And I was so shocked, I just asked, 'where do you want to go?'"

She took a deep breath and said, "and he told me he just wanted to the same things everyone else does, go to college, to live a real life, but that it was impossible. I asked why it was impossible and he told me, 'because the pretty world you live in takes money, just live happily and stay away from people like me.' And I argued with him, told him if he really wanted to he could get a scholarship. And he got angry and told me to leave him alone. And that made me so mad that I shouted, 'nobody else can believe in you if you won't believe in yourself!' And I left."

Takumi ran his hands down her back until she relaxed. And she said, "but I kept saying hi. And he kept replying. Finally he asked, 'do you really want to date me that much?' And I told him I did. And he told me, 'fine, but I can't meet up with you outside of school, I don't have time.' I told him that was fine."

Eri thought for a moment and asked, "do you even want to hear all of this?"

"Yes," he replied promptly.

"OK," she agreed and kept going. "The first time I made him a lunch he told me, 'don't do crap like this. I can't do anything for you.' But when I suggested we take turns, and alternate between him buying lunch and me bringing lunch he agreed." She paused and blushed again and said, "after a few months I asked if I could kiss him. And he just said, 'do whatever you want.' So sometimes I'd kiss him… But I never realized he wasn't really kissing me back, until the last kiss."

She swallowed hard and said bitterly, "the day he graduated, he asked me to meet him at the gates. And he hugged me really hard and said, 'you are the only good thing in my life. But I'm going to change that. I got the scholarship, just like you said I could, and I'm leaving. This is goodbye, the end, we're finished. Don't wait for me, don't come look for me. I have to leave everything at once. If I hold on to you, I won't ever be able to completely leave behind my stupid addict parents and the stupid sluts who pay for sex like it's just another drug, so I'm leaving you too. But I'm going to go and try to become the kind of guy you should have been dating, I just can't be that guy for you. Don't date any more guys like me. Find a good guy who will take care of you and love you properly.'"

Eri stopped, and cried against Takumi's chest and he clung to her tightly. She gulped and said as she cried, "and then he kissed me, really kissed me, like you kiss me. And then he left."

He held her while she cried and she said, "sorry."

"Why?" he murmured.

"Crying over another man in front of you," she whispered.

And he said softly, "Eri, don't ever be afraid to cry in front of me, OK? I'll always want to be with you to hold you while you cry."

She kissed him hard and he responded hotly. He slapped on a condom and when he held her pinned beneath him demanded, "say my name Eri! I want you to cry my name when you come."

"Takumi," she said breathlessly.

"Again," he demanded.

"Takumi," she repeated.

"Again," he replied.

And when she came she sobbed, "Takumi!"

He came, and he panted, "my Eri," as he shuddered. When his breathing slowed, he told her, "Eri, I love you, I don't think I'm falling in love with you, I'm already completely in love with you."

And he kissed her and kissed her and kissed her until she laughed a little and said, "enough. I believe you," and whispered, "I like you so much."

"How can I make you fall in love with me?" he asked.

"I don't know, can you just wait for me?" she asked uncertainly.

"I will," he said firmly, and he kissed her again.

"OK," she agreed.


	7. Sunday Dreams

When they woke up, Takumi reminded her that he wanted to take her shopping for gear and rings. Sleepily Eri asked, "how much do you think it will cost?"

He grinned at her and replied, "don't worry about it, I'm paying for it."

Shocked fully awake she sat up and said, "if it's going to be so expensive that you don't want to tell me, I'm not sure I want you to buy it!"

He hugged her and replied soothingly, "Eri, I have no idea how much it's going to cost, other than that a good helmet will be at least a couple hundred."

She stared at him and replied, "maybe you should try to borrow one?"

He kissed her and asked seriously, "are you breaking up with me when today ends?"

"No!" she replied with alarm. Then she added shyly, "I set up an appointment for birth control tomorrow afternoon."

"Then I'm getting you a good helmet that fits you properly," he replied calmly after a moment and kissed her again.

"Shouldn't I at least buy the rings then?" she asked doubtfully.

"You can if you want to," he agreed. "But I really don't mind, and I'm the one who asked for them."

She sighed and cuddled against him.

He slid his hand down to her hip and asked softly, "can we?"

She nodded and he rolled over and got out another condom. After they finished he looked at her with alarm and she asked, "what's wrong?"

"I forgot all about our laundry!" he exclaimed.

She laughed and he pulled on clothes quickly and banged out the door.

He came back to find Eri cooking breakfast in the yukata he'd lent her. He carried the basket full of clothes in and said, "the other residents were friendly this time and everything seems to still be here and nothing is ruined."

"That's good," she replied with a grin.

Takumi walked over to her and looked at the eggs she was cooking and kissed her cheek. When she smiled at him again he said, "I could get used to this, want to move in with me?"

Eri blinked at him and said, "I can't."

"Why not?" he asked seriously.

She blushed and replied, "we've only known each other for three days."

"So?" he asked.

She shrugged and after a minute of him watching her intently she said doubtfully, "you said you'll wait for me?"

"I will," he agreed promptly.

"Then don't ask me that yet?" she asked.

"OK," he agreed, and kissed her again. "I won't ask again soon, but it's an open offer, whenever you feel ready."

She dished up the food and handed him the plates. They ate and Takumi asked, "do you want me to go with you to your appointment tomorrow?"

Eri looked at him in surprise and asked, "you wouldn't mind?"

"I don't mind," he replied. "What kind are you thinking of getting?"

"I don't know," she answered uncertainly.

"When is it?" asked, pulling up his schedule.

She told him when and where, and when he asked, which college she was attending.

They agreed on a plan where he'd pick her up after her last class and they'd go together. When they finished breakfast they did the dishes and then went shopping.

At the motorcycle gear store, Takumi told her, "don't get black or grey stuff. Everyone thinks it's cool, but it's not as visible. If something does happen and you wind up laying in the road, you're more at risk for getting run over after the accident."

Eri looked at him nervously and he added, "I don't want you to be afraid of riding with me, but I want you to understand what the dangers are so you'll be as safe as possible."

"Have you been in accidents?" she asked worriedly.

"Only a few very minor ones, mostly during the first couple of years I was driving," he assured her.

After they looked around for awhile Takumi asked, "have we looked at any jackets that appeal to you? We can go to a few other places if you don't see anything."

Eri said uncertainly, "the only one I thought was pretty is really expensive, but it doesn't need to be pretty does it? Although I'd rather not have yellow or orange."

He replied, "if you saw one you think is pretty enough to wear apart from riding, let's get that."

"Why?" she asked.

He grinned at her and said, "because if you like it and don't mind wearing it when you're not with me, then I can pick you up without needing to carry it on the bike all the time."

"But if it's like yours it'll be too hot to wear it soon," she objected.

"I'll put the luggage case on for the summer," he replied.

"It was really expensive," she warned him.

"If it's too much, I'll take you to the other shops or we can look on the net, but it's better to be able to try it on," he said.

"OK," she agreed and showed him the white suede leather jacket that she thought was pretty.

"White?" he asked dubiously.

"Is that bad? It's bright?" she queried in return.

"It'll be expensive to keep it looking clean is all," he replied.

"Oh," she replied, and hung it back up.

He reached over her shoulder and pulled it down again. She looked at him questioningly and he opened it up and read all the tags and examined each zipper carefully.

"It's really good apart from that. Do you like it enough to wear it daily?" he asked.

She hesitated and asked, "is there a mirror I can try it on in front of?"

He looked around and finally spotted one and nodded. He lead her over to it and she tried the jacket on. "It's pretty, but even though it feels soft to touch, it's stiffer than yours," she said uncertainly.

"It will relax as you wear it," he replied. Then he reached over and pulled it open and tugged at various interior adjustment straps until he was satisfied, before closing it and zipping it up. "It adjusts to fit you pretty well," he said.

"It was more comfortable looser," she commented.

"It's safer like this, but you can loosen it when you're just wearing it off the bike," he said and he reached out and touched her cheek.

"I like it, but it's really expensive," she said again.

He grinned at her and replied, "don't worry, you're worth it. Trust me."

She blushed and he pulled her close and kissed her.

Finding a helmet took even longer, and they did visit another store, because Takumi insisted that they keep looking until they found a style that didn't pinch her anywhere and still fit snugly enough to suit him. They couldn't find it in white to match the jacket, so he chose silver.

Eri asked him dubiously, "how is that different from grey? Wouldn't the red one at least match yours?"

He replied, "silver is more reflective at least. Would you rather have red?"

She laughed and replied, "I'd choose green, but we'd look like a Christmas decoration."

The clerk offered, "I can order that one in pink, if you can wait a week? Or two days if you want to pay for shipping."

Eri asked doubtfully, "what shade of pink?"

The clerk pulled up a catalog and showed them.

Takumi said, "that's not bad."

"Do you like it?" she asked.

He grinned at her and replied, "do you like it, is the main question."

She shook her head and answered swiftly, "no, I'll see the jacket a lot, but I'll only see the helmet when I'm putting it on or taking it off. It's OK, but I don't like it any more than the red or silver, so you pick."

He glanced at the other helmets and replied, "it's better than those, though I was hoping to have one today. Let's get it."

"OK," she agreed.

They went to lunch before tackling shopping for rings. Eri received a message from Chisa while they were eating. She muttered, "I don't know how to answer this."

Takumi asked curiously, "can I see?"

She blushed and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I guess," she said nervously.

He held out his hand and she passed him her phone.

He read the message and laughed. Then he scrolled up the history and Eri complained, "hey!"

He grinned at her and said soothingly, "don't worry, there's nothing embarrassing about having friends who care enough to worry about you."

"I guess," she agreed doubtfully.

"It's all good advice," he said with another grin.

She covered her face with her hands.

"Why don't you just reply, 'I am'?" he asked cheerfully.

She blushed again.

Takumi took her to a jewelry store that she'd admired sets in when her sister and her brother in law had been looking at wedding rings.

"Do you have any other siblings?" he asked suddenly. "What's your family like? My extended family is pretty large, both of my parents each have three siblings."

"I just have the one older sister, but my mom has five siblings. My dad doesn't have any," she replied curiously.

He shrugged and said, "I just wondered."

They browsed the catalogs at the couple's ring display and Takumi laughed and said, "we could have done this on the net if we're just looking at pictures."

Eri glanced at him and said, "they have some of these in stock." She pointed at the flag and asked, "would you have rather looked from home?"

He shrugged and paged through a few more sets.

She watched and asked, "go back one?"

"What did you see?" he enquired.

She pointed to a set that looked like a weave of flowering vines in pastel and copper tones. "It's probably too flowery for you though," she commented.

He shrugged and replied, "I don't mind wearing flowers for you." She glanced at him in surprise and he grinned at her and said, "most people aren't going to look that closely."

He marked that set and they paged through more until they reached one that he stopped at and asked, "what do you think of this one?"

She looked at him and replied doubtfully, "it's very pretty, but it's got emeralds and diamonds in it."

He grinned at her and replied, "so? I like it better than the pastels."

She nodded reluctantly. "It is prettier," she agreed.

He marked that one too, and then paged through the suggestions that two floral designs had prompted.

The only other design that they both liked made Eri complain uncomfortably, "it looks too much like a wedding ring."

Takumi laughed and opened his mouth, but closed it again without saying anything.

"What?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he replied quickly and kissed her. She looked at him doubtfully and he said, "don't worry, I'll wait for you to fall in love with me before I ask about wedding rings."

She blushed again.

He kissed her fingers and asked, "can we get the one with emeralds and diamonds?"

She looked at the price again and he said, "I don't care how much it costs."

She grinned at him suddenly and replied, "so you don't mind if I pay for them then?"

He asked uncertainly, "will it be too much for you?"

She shook her head and replied, "it's a lot, but I've been saving up for something else and I can afford it. And it's still less than the jacket and helmet."

"What about the thing you've been saving for?" he asked.

She shrugged and replied, "it will take me at least another half a year anyway, this won't push it back more than a couple months."

"OK," he agreed after a moment.

Luckily the set was available in store in both of their sizes. Eri was a little surprised.

The sales person said mournfully, "we expected this set to be more popular. It's actually being discontinued because sales on it are so low."

Takumi grinned and said, "cool."

When both Eri and the sales person looked at him with surprised questioning faces he shrugged and explained, "that means not as many people will have the same set. I like not following the trend for something like this, makes it feel less commercial somehow?"

Eri nodded.

He kissed her and asked, "how much longer can I keep you?" She gave him a startled look and he said, "you told your parents you'd go home today?"

"Oh," she replied. Then said uncertainly, "I should probably go home soon, I still have assignments to finish."

He kissed her again and agreed reluctantly, "OK." When they reached the bike he asked, "where is it?" And then he entered the address she gave him into the navigation system.


	8. Home Sweet Home

When they reached the building she told him apologetically, "you'll have to park on the street, we don't have a parking space."

He looked at her in surprise and asked, "at all?"

"The building only has a few spaces, and neither of my parents drive, although my father does have a license," she replied.

When they walked in, he looked at her in surprise as she waved her key to unlock the security at the entry. "Fancy," he commented.

She shrugged and replied, "it's new, but everyone's pretty happy with it. There'd been a lot of solicitors coming because there are quite a few elderly people living here. There's not a lot of turnover."

He looked at the antique looking brass and glass elevator in the center of the building when they came out of the entry hall and exclaimed, "that's beautiful! Is it safe? Does it actually run?" He leaned in and looked up along the open space around the shaft at the mechanism at the center of the glass domed ceiling six stories above.

Eri laughed and replied, "the pulleys are just there for show now. It actually runs on modern hydraulics under the cage, although they are all brass plated to match. My father had it switched over when I was about three."

He looked at her in surprise and asked, "he owns the building?"

She nodded, but added, "he had to get my grandfather's help with the loan though, so he always says it belongs to my mother really." He looked at her in confusion, and she clarified, "my mother's father. My father's parents died in a car wreck when he was six and he was raised by his grandmother."

"Oh," he replied. "That's kind of a weird coincidence."

"Why?" she asked.

"My mother's father died in a car wreck when she was six too," he replied.

"Oh," she said in a subdued tone.

He hugged her and told her, "nevermind, that's all ancient history."

They stepped into the elevator and as soon as it started moving he said uncomfortably, "I'm kind of nervous now."

Eri looked at him and said, "it's really safe."

Takumi laughed and kissed her and replied, "not about the elevator. I just realized you're basically taking me home to meet your family."

"Do you not want to?" she asked unhappily.

"I will. I don't mind. I just feel unprepared," he replied quickly and gripped her hand tightly.

The elevator stopped and she looked at his expression and asked, "do you want to go to the roof for a few minutes first?"

"Would you mind?" he asked.

She shook her head and pressed the button. He pulled her close and kissed her again.

When they reached the top and stepped through the glass doors to the roof he looked around and exclaimed, "good gods, I wish my parents building had had this kind of playground. We just had a pool."

Eri laughed and said, "it's much prettier than it was when I was little, but I'd have loved having a pool." Then she asked, "want to look around?"

He nodded and she led him over to the path that circled the edge of the building. Everything was fenced but it was a light net that didn't really block the view. She pointed out the laundry and said, "my parents said when they moved into the building the laundry was in the basement and closed a lot due to plumbing problems. Moving it to the roof was one of the first things they did after they took over."

"Cool," he commented.

On the other side of the laundry was a small garden with a center of raked sand. She led him over to one of the benches beside it and he sat and pulled her into his lap.

Eri kissed him and said suddenly with excitement, "I saw it happen!"

Takumi looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked, "what?"

"Your eyes dilated, when I kissed you" she explained and blushed.

He grinned and kissed her again. After a little bit he said quietly, "I really want to lay you down and mess up that sand."

She laughed and protested, "you can't, kids could come through at any moment." She kissed him again and added, "we can mess up the sand if you want to though. Want to dance with me?"

"You can call it dancing if you want to," he murmured.

"Takumi!" she protested again.

"Oh, were you serious?" he asked a little regretfully. She nodded and he said, "sure, I'll dance with you."

She slid off his lap and opened the rear door of the laundry, stepped inside and activated the speakers. Then she chose a song on her phone and propped the door open.

He laughed when he heard the song she'd chosen. She pulled him over onto the sand and he slid his arms around her waist. They danced on the sand and after the second chorus he sang along softly with the verse.

Eri came to a halt and said, "oh my god!"

"What?" he asked.

"Your voice is amazing, and you know this song?" she said with awe.

He shrugged uncomfortably and told her a little anxiously, "I hate being asked to sing."

She stared at him and then said after a minute, "I can see why people would ask you. I love your voice when you're just talking, and when you sing it, it makes me shiver." She said a little unhappily, "I'll try not to ever ask you to sing though."

"Thank you," he said softly, and pulled her back into the dance.

She melted into him as they moved and said, "I'm still surprised you know this one."

He blushed and told her quietly, "this is my mother's band."

She froze in shock and stared at him open mouthed. Takumi chuckled and reminded her, "I did mention she's a musician and in a band."

Eri protested immediately, "you didn't say your mother was a pop star!"

"I'm not sure pop star is a definition I'd use, but aside from that, does it really matter what my mother does?" he asked a little plaintively.

She blushed and shook her head and told him, "no, of course not, but isn't it ok for me to be shocked that your mother is in one of my favorite bands?"

He nodded and kissed her. They started dancing again. After the third song she sighed and said, "I love this, but we should stop." She looked at him a little anxiously and asked, "do you feel up to meeting my parents for a few minutes now?"

He kissed her and replied, "yes. Thank you for giving me a little extra time to get used to the idea."

Eri shrugged and said, "just a minute. Let's fix the sand." She pulled a couple of small rakes out of a closet in the corner of the laundry room and they raked the sand quickly, according to her quiet instructions. Then she shut everything down and took his hand.

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand and they walked back to the elevator.

She led him to her family's corner apartment, took a deep breath and unlocked and opened the door, calling out softly, "I'm home."

Her mother looked up from where she was standing on a short stool at the counter in the small kitchen section beside the entrance and grinned, "welcome home! Did you enjoy your weekend? When do we get to meet him?"

Eri blushed and replied, "yes, and now." She tugged gently on Takumi's hand and he stepped into the room behind her.

"Oh my," her mother replied a little faintly looking at the pretty young man in red leather.

He said, a little shyly, "hello, how do you do?"

Miyuki relaxed a little at his polite greeting and set aside the vegetables she'd been working with. She quickly washed off her hands while Eri said, "this is my mother, Miyuki. Ka-chan, this is," she blushed more deeply, "my boyfriend Takeshi Takumi." Then she asked, "where's to-chan?"

Miyuki took Takumi's hand replied cheerfully, "nice to meet you. He's fixing something on a sink in C3. I don't think he'll be very long, if you can stay for a little while?" she directed the question toward Takumi.

Eri looked at him hopefully and he smiled at her and replied, "I can stay as long as you want me to?"

Eri took his jacket and hung it up next to where she'd hung her new white one. Then she looked at what her mother had been preparing and asked, "stay for supper?"

Miyuki immediately repeated the invitation and Takumi agreed to stay. They removed their shoes at the entrance and stepped in while Miyuki returned to her food preparation. He looked around the small apartment curiously, and Eri asked, "want me to show you around?"

At his nod, she showed him the small bathroom with a tile shower occupying the corner opposite the kitchen, then stepped up onto the tatami floor of the main room, she walked over to one of the antique silk screened doors and slid it open to reveal a raised cubby with a futon set up on its floor, another rolled up behind it, and either end lined in drawers.

A little embarrassed she explained, "this is where my sister I slept until she got married, now it's just me." She waved to the screens on the other side and said, "that is my parents, it's basically just a mirror image of this section."

Takumi grinned at her and she scooped up her school tablet and asked, "do you mind if I start on my assignments while we wait?"

He shook his head and she took his hand again and pulled him over to a padded raised square in the corner where the two walls of windows met. She scooted onto it and he looked at her for a minute, then climbed on and coaxed her into moving so he was settled against one window sill and she was tucked up under his arm.

"This view of the river is gorgeous," he commented after a moment.

Eri glanced up at him and said shyly, "when I was in grade school my parents let my sister and I choose whether we'd move into this corner apartment where you can see the river, but is only a little bigger than the one we started with, or into one of the larger three bedroom ones on the back side of the building."

Miyuki watched them cuddle up together quietly, and she grinned as she worked.

Takumi said, "if this place had a tub, I'd apply for a corner apartment like this, the building is beautiful and the view is even better than at my place."

Eri laughed and said, "we're sitting on the tub."

"What?" he asked with confusion.

She slid out of his arms and pulled him off the little platform. Then she showed him how it lifted away to reveal a square soaking tub with overflow drains along each outer side.

He laughed and asked, "where do I sign up?"

She covered the tub again and replied, "there's a waiting list, but it's like five years."

Her father had slipped into the apartment quietly while they were distracted and spoke up, "seven years probably for one of the corner apartments." He kissed his wife and looked at his embarrassed daughter and her visitor with amusement.

Eri introduced Takumi to her father Mitsui Minami. He was barely taller than his daughter and had the same curl to his hair where it was long enough to show. Looking at her parents after the introduction, Takumi grinned and whispered to her, "you have your mother's pretty green eyes and your father's hair."

Eri nodded and blushed. They curled back up in the corner and Eri tackled her assignment again. After a few minutes Takumi said, "that answer is wrong, but should I interfere or just let you do it?"

Eri looked up at him with surprise. "I'll take any help I can get, but you don't have to. What's wrong with it?"

He showed her where she'd gotten the formula wrong and she laughed and said, "you secretly really like math don't you?"

He shrugged and replied, "I don't like it, or hate it, but it's easy for me. Thankfully I take after my father rather than my mother where math is concerned. She hates it and I think it really doesn't make sense to her sometimes." He laughed and told her, "once while my father was away on a longer trip, she was driven to actual tears while trying to help my little brother with his assignments. I had to do it instead."

Eri shrugged and told him, "I don't hate math any more than any other subject."

Takumi raised an eyebrow and asked, "are there any subjects you like?"

She was quiet for a long time before answering, "not really. I guess my language classes are the most interesting, but I can't really say I enjoy those either."

"It's OK," he told her comfortingly, "school doesn't last forever unless you decide to become a teacher."

She laughed and cuddled into him before remembering that her parents were watching them from the kitchen. She pulled away a little again and blushed. "Sorry," she whispered.

He shrugged.

They ate dinner with her parents, and he calmly replied to their gently teasing questions. When he suggested that it might be be time to go, Eri walked him out to his bike.

They kissed for awhile, standing on the pavement beside it. When he felt her shiver he hugged her and said, "silly, you should have pulled on a jacket. Go back inside, I'll see you again tomorrow afternoon."

She let him go a little regretfully, and went back inside.

Her parents grinned at her and her father said, "he seems nice. How's his driving?"

Eri blinked, then shrugged and replied, "um, conservative? I guess. We've only driven around a little in town. Why?"

"Motorcycles aren't exactly the safest form of transportation," he replied a little anxiously.

Eri blushed and told them, "that's why he insisted on buying me my own jacket and helmet today." She gestured to the white leather jacket. "And he was really picky about getting ones that fit well enough to suit him," she added.

"Good," her father replied simply.


	9. Impossible is nothing.

The next day Eri reluctantly approached Chisa before their first shared class. She was dreading the barrage of questions she knew her friend was going to ask.

Chisa greeted her with excitement. But she didn't start with questions, instead she exclaimed, "your new jacket is pretty! And you'll never believe who I wound up with after the group date!"

Eri asked with confusion, "who?"

Chisa giggled, "you know that really hot student teacher that came to our chemistry class?" Eri gave her a blank look and she added with a little irritation, "about a month ago?"

"Oh," Eri nodded.

"One of the guys at the group date is his younger brother, and he came to pick him up when it ended, and we started talking. We had a date yesterday, and it was amazing!" she bubbled with enthusiasm. Suddenly she remembered Eri's guy and asked, "what happened after you left with that pretty guy in red leather? Did you go on a date for real?"

Eri blushed and replied hesitantly, "not exactly, we went to his apartment."

Chisa smirked and asked, "how was he?"

Eri didn't reply immediately and Chisa looked at Eri's hand and said, "oh my god, that's a cute ring! Are you really going steady so fast!?"

Eri shrugged and nodded.

Chisa opened her mouth but was interrupted by the arrival of the muscular young student teacher that she was apparently dating now. He leaned over her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Chisa blushed and told Eri, "sorry, I'll ask you more later. Go on to class without me, I'll be there in a few minutes."

She tucked her hand into his arm and they hurried away. Eri looked after them with mixed feelings, then turned and went to class.

Chisa slid into her seat breathlessly just before the teacher took attendance. Eri looked at her flushed face and decided uncomfortably that they'd probably just had sex. She wasn't sure why the idea bothered her, and given what she'd done over the weekend, she felt like a hypocrite, so she didn't say anything.

Chisa didn't wind up quizzing her more about Takumi. When they met for lunch, between the two classes they didn't share, Chisa apologized and told her, "I told him I usually have lunch with you, but he asked if he could have me Monday and Friday, and I agreed. But if you really mind I'll tell him I can't after all?"

"I don't mind," Eri replied calmly, and Chisa grinned at her happily. But after a moment Eri asked, "is it really OK, I mean, this is where he works?"

Chisa laughed and replied, "don't worry so much. Neither of us are going to miss a class or anything silly."

"OK," Eri said and shrugged.

Chisa hugged her and said, "I'll see you after our last class."

Eri shook her head and said shyly, "I've got an appointment after classes are over."

Chisa looked at her face and asked wryly, "an appointment? A date?"

Eri denied it and explained, "a doctor appointment."

"What's wrong?" Chisa asked with alarm.

"Nothing!" Eri replied quickly. "It's for um, birth control."

Chisa stared at her in shock and then laughed and ruffled her hair. "You really are cautious, but I'm glad you're finally dating on your own," she said with amusement. Then she hugged Eri again and ran off to meet her new lover.

Eri started eating, but stopped again and looked up in surprise as her youngest uncle dropped into the seat on the other side of the table. He stretched out his long legs, grinned at her and asked, "are you ready for my test on Thursday?"

Eri grimaced at him and said formally, "I'll do my best Toriyama-sensei."

He stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed and said, "oji-chan, you're the one who told me to always call you that at school. Why are you eating with me today?"

"I saw Chisa-chan abandon you, and I haven't talked to you in weeks outside class," he replied, and added, "and your grade is falling lately, so I guess I sort of am interfering as your sensei, so what's up?"

Eri shrugged.

"Too busy dating to study?" he asked, glancing in the direction Chisa had departed in.

Eri went scarlet and he looked back at her and laughed. "Really?!" he enquired with a voice full of mirth.

Eri replied quickly, "I have started dating someone, but you can't blame my grade on Takumi, I just met him on Friday."

"Oh? What should I blame your grade on then?" he inquired.

Eri shrugged again and looked at him unhappily.

He sighed and reached across the table to ruffle her hair and said, "alright, just do your best."

They finished lunch quietly and went to their classes.

After her last class Eri met Takumi who was waiting with his bike. He kissed her and then grimaced and said, "sorry." She looked up at him with a worried expression, and he continued, "I'll have to go back to work for awhile as soon as we're done."

"Oh," she replied.

"I wanted to have dinner with you tonight," he complained and then asked, "have dinner with me tomorrow?"

"OK," she agreed.

He kissed her again then tightened the straps in her jacket and fastened the helmet for her.

At the clinic the attendant told Eri, "I scheduled you with a female doctor that you haven't seen before, since Rioko-sensei is out on leave for a few weeks."

Then he looked at Takumi and asked, "are you here for STD testing too? This just says birth control." He looked at their faces and then firmly advocated that they add the testing to their visit since they were both there.

Eventually they gave in and both of them had their blood sampled and peed into a testing cup before Eri was called in to talk to the doctor.

Takumi laughed at Eri's embarrassment, but then hugged her comfortingly and said quietly, "it's not a big deal. Don't worry everyone goes through this stuff, it's just that no one likes to talk about it."

When they called her in, she clung to his hand for a moment and he asked quietly, "want me to come with you or wait for you?"

She asked shyly, "come with me?"

He nodded and they followed the doctor's assistant into the consultation room.

After a few minutes the doctor came in, and flipped through the waiting notes and then looked up and asked, "you came in to choose a birth control method according to the appointment notes?"

They both nodded.

"Both of you are clear on the STD tests, but I can't put you on birth control," the doctor replied.

Eri protested, "why not?"

The woman frowned at her and said, "you're already pregnant according to your tests."

Takumi froze in surprise and Eri stared at her in disbelieving shock. After a minute she squeaked, "that's impossible!"

The doctor looked at them with a sardonic expression and asked, "you've never had sex?"

Eri just stared at her and Takumi was the one who replied calmly, "we have, but it seems very unlikely, and it hasn't been long enough that it should necessarily show."

"It's from a previous partner then," the doctor said with a disgusted tone.

"It is not!" Eri wailed with distress.

The doctor looked at Takumi and said, "maybe you should let me talk to her alone for a few minutes."

Takumi looked at Eri's white face and said, "no, you can talk to both of us." He scooped Eri up into his lap and hugged her tightly. Then he looked at the doctor and said, "I think you should run the test again."

The doctor glared at him and said, "the test is very accurate."

Calmly he asked, "accurate enough to be certain after only three days? When condoms were used?"

The doctor snapped, "that's really unlikely, so let me talk to her about her other partners."

Eri shook her head violently and stared up at Takumi and said, "no one else!"

He kissed her forehead and said, "I know that."

The doctor gazed at them with exasperation.

Takumi looked back at her and said, "please run the test again, or I'll just take her to a different doctor."

Angrily the doctor called back in her assistant and ran the blood test on Eri herself. She showed Takumi the result with a sneer. He paled a little but Eri burst into tears, and he cuddled her gently.

The doctor rolled her eyes and Takumi stood abruptly with Eri in his arms and walked out of her office.

Halfway down the hall another doctor stepped out of an examining room and halted in shock. "Eri-chan?" he questioned. "What happened?"

Eri looked up and gasped, "Wei-sensei!" Tears were still pouring down her face.

Takumi jerked his head in the direction of the room they'd just left and said angrily, "that doctor doesn't believe Eri and was looking down on us!"

Wei looked at the doctor who'd just exited the room behind them and said calmly, "I'm just a pediatrician, but why don't you come into my office and tell me what's going on."

Takumi shrugged and followed him when Eri nodded.

The doctor led them into a tiny room that was obviously an administrative office rather than one set up for patients. Takumi sat gingerly and rebalanced Eri in his lap.

Eri tried to speak, but she was crying too hard to be understandable and after a moment Takumi asked, "do you want me to tell him everything Eri?"

She nodded and he explained the situation. When he finished Eri had mostly stopped crying, and Wei said gently, "it sounds like you're very lucky."

They both stared at the man incredulously. And he grinned at them and said, "from what you've told me, you seem to have hit a 1 in 10,000 chance."

Eri said unhappily, "I don't want to be pregnant."

Wei said reluctantly, "if it really has been only three days, you might be able to use a morning after pill, but since you're already testing positive, it's not very likely to work."

Eri asked shakily, "are there any bad effects if it doesn't work?"

Takumi tensed and looked at her with alarm.

Wei replied, "no, if it doesn't work it won't have any effect on the baby."

Eri said, "I'll try it."

Takumi's expression tightened, but he didn't say anything, he just held her and watched her take it when the assistant brought it in. They scheduled another test for Friday, to see if it would be successful, and then they left.

 

When they reached his bike Takumi asked, "what should I do, are you going to be OK if I go back to work?" Eri looked up at him and he hugged her again and said, "I want to spend more time holding you and talk about it."

She shook her head and he loosened his hold a little. "I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to think about it, I don't want this," she told him plaintively.

He hugged her tighter and asked a little desperately, "what do you want? What can I do?"

She clung to him and said anxiously, "I just want to date you normally. Go to dinner with you tomorrow. Not think about it."

He bit his lip and after a moment he agreed, "OK Eri I'll try."

She looked up at him anxiously, and he kissed her gently. He cupped her cheek in his hand and she leaned into it. "Is it OK to forget about it until after the test on Friday?" she whispered.

"Yes," he agreed. "Want to get go get a cup of tea before I take you home?" he asked.

Eri sighed and said, "Takumi, I'm sorry, I don't want to look at you right now. Can I just meet you tomorrow?" She looked at his expression and repeated, "I'm sorry."

He took a deep breath and said, "it's OK." He kissed her again gently, then fastened her up and took her home.

Before she walked away he asked hesitantly, "can I call you later?"

She just shrugged and stared at him wordlessly.

"I'll call," he told her. "But you don't have to answer."

After a moment, she nodded, and then walked away.

He went back to work, and Eri went up to the roof and sat beside the little sand garden until sunset. Her parents noticed that she was subdued, but they didn't pester her about it, other than asking if she were OK.

Takumi called her after dinner and after staring at her phone for a minute, she answered, "hi."

"Hi," he replied gently. "Do you want to go somewhere fancy, or keep it low key tomorrow? Any preference on type of food or anything?"

Eri stared blankly out the window for a moment then replied, "I don't know. I don't like fish very much, except for shellfish."

"Alright," he replied after a minute.

He suggested several restaurants and Eri hesitated for awhile before asking, "can you just pick one? I'm sorry, I have no idea."

He laughed a little and replied, "sure."

They talked for awhile longer and then Eri crawled into bed. She stared blindly at the ceiling in her sleeping space and thought about how strangely numb she felt. She hadn't really thought about anything while staring at the sky, and she wasn't really thinking about anything as she lay staring at the ceiling. Finally she closed her eyes and slept.


	10. Interval

She felt more normal in the morning. She smiled at Chisa when she talked excitedly about her club activities scheduled for the afternoon. And Chisa teased her when she admitted that she was going out to dinner with Takumi.

She finished her few assignments and dressed before he picked her up after work. After he kissed her she asked nervously, "is this OK for the place we're going?"

"What?" he asked blankly.

"My clothes," she replied a little upset.

He laughed and slid his hands around her hips and told her belatedly, "you look beautiful."

She looked at him dubiously and he reached up and let his finger slide along one of her curls, down her throat and along the low neckline of her shirt, and and told her seriously, "I mean it Eri. You look so sexy I'd rather take you home than out to dinner. But I promised I'd feed you, and I didn't buy groceries."

She blushed and said shyly, "I would have worn a dress but figured we'd be riding."

He nodded, but told her, "if you want to wear a dress, just let me know the day before and I can arrange to bring a car." He adjusted her jacket and held out the new helmet for her.

She looked at it in surprise and said, "I forgot. It's prettier than it looked in the picture, kind of pearly."

He grinned and helped her buckle it and said, "it looks good. It goes with the white better than I expected too. How does it feel?"

"More comfortable than yours," she said with a little surprise.

"Good," he replied with a pleased smile.

He took her to a mid range restaurant, with booths instead of tables and pulled her into the same side with him. The food was very good, better than the restaurant's appearance suggested to her. Takumi ate one handed, the other arm he kept around her waist.

When they finished he asked, "want to go for a walk?"

Eri leaned into his side and asked with embarrassment, "can we go to your place?"

"Absolutely," he whispered.

They hurried out of the restaurant and Eri laughed as Takumi pulled her along after him. He still drove carefully and sedately there, though after he'd parked the bike he walked her to the elevator so quickly it was almost making her run.

He unlocked his apartment with impatience and after they were inside he kicked off his shoes and scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her back against his pillows and kissed her hotly, while siding his hands under her shirt and unfastening her bra. Then he bent and bit her nipples lightly through the thin material of her shirt and she moaned.

He pulled off her shoes and socks, then lifted her hips and slid her pants and underwear off at the same time. Then he grabbed her hands and pulled her up into his kiss and removed her shirt. When he had her naked he groaned and said, "you're so beautiful just looking at you naked makes me so hard."

He pushed her back into the bed and kissed her while he wriggled out of his pants. His erection rubbed hotly against her skin as she unbuttoned his shirt and he shrugged it off and sucked on her nipples until she was moaning again.

When he pulled out a condom her face twisted when she looked at it, and he stopped. "Eri?" he asked uncertainly.

"Does it even matter if we use it?" she asked unhappily.

He kissed her softly and then said just as unhappily, "yes, if the pill works, it matters."

She closed her eyes and nodded.

He sighed. She opened her eyes and said, "Takumi, don't stop."

He kissed her harder and put it on then slid into her with a quick hard motion that made her gasp.

He didn't hold back at all and made her come with long hard thrusts that pierced her every time and when she came she cried, "Takumi" in an agonized gasp that tipped him over the edge and he slammed into her once more and came. He collapsed onto her panting and sweaty, and she trembled beneath him.

After a moment he asked uncertainly, "Eri, are you OK, did I hurt you? Am I crushing you."

"I want you to crush me," she replied quietly.

He pushed up enough that he could look into her face and she was crying silently. Horrified, he started to pull off of her, but she wrapped her legs and arms around him and held him down on top of her.

"Eri?" he asked anxiously.

"Let me feel your weight on me for a little while?" she begged.

He relaxed against her and ran his tongue over her tears. She relaxed under him and kissed him again. He probed her mouth with his tongue and she moaned and quivered and her tears stopped.

He started to harden again and since he was still inside her she felt it happen and gasped. He licked her throat and when she arched her hips, her breasts shifted against his chest and suddenly he was completely hard again.

He thrust into her and she came again, surprising them both. He gasped as she shuddered and tightened on him. He kissed her hotly until her orgasm subsided and then he thrust into her again. She panted and moaned as he rocked her more gently and he held out until she came a third time and then let himself come with her.

He rolled off her and reluctantly got up and cleaned up the mess before laying down again and cuddling against her side. She stared out into the city lights and said, "I should call if I'm not going home."

He stroked her hip and murmured into her damp hair, "I don't want you to go home."

"OK," she agreed.

He kissed her shoulder and held her. After awhile she got up and called her parents and used his bathroom. He watched her walking carefully and winced. When she finished he took a turn and started the bath.


	11. Reality

When he settled on the bed beside her he asked again, "Eri, did I hurt you?"

She looked up at him and blushed, and replied, "I'm OK."

Hesitantly he asked, "are you sure?"

She nodded and told him, "I'm OK, I just feel more… stretched inside sort of."

"OK," he said and bent to kiss her. She pulled him down against her and they kissed for awhile.

Then she sat up and said, "Takumi, I know I'm the one who said I don't want to talk about it, but I want to talk about it for a minute?"

"OK," he replied calmly.

"You didn't want me to take the pill?" she asked after a long moment.

He was silent for a little while, and she looked at him anxiously. "No," he said finally.

"You didn't say anything," she said unhappily.

He looked up at her and reached up and caressed her face. "It's your body, and you don't want it," he said miserably after another long moment.

"You want a baby?" she asked with surprise.

His expression tightened and he shrugged. "I don't know, maybe, I never really thought about it. But I want you, and your baby. And I didn't want you to try to get rid of it. But I'm not ever going to tell you that you can't or you shouldn't," he said a little roughly.

"I'm not ready to have a baby," she whispered.

"It's OK," he said and sat up, pulled her close and kissed her for awhile.

They took a bath and Takumi changed his sheets and rinsed her underwear and hung them over the sink to dry.

Eri watched him and said wryly, "you'll make a good wife."

He grinned at her and replied, "then you should snatch me up before some tall handsome fellow sweeps me off of my feet!"

She gasped and asked, "are you bi?"

He laughed and replied, "no, but why does that matter?"

She shrugged and replied uncertainly, "I guess it doesn't?"

He dropped her off at the college on his way to work.

She spent Wednesday evening studying for her test. They met for another date on Thursday, but Eri asked him to take her home after it. When she saw his disappointment she said anxiously, "it's not that I don't want to. I just don't feel like it's normal to sleep with you everytime I see you, and I want to date normally?"

He told her, "It's OK, we can do things at your pace."

Friday he picked her up for the appointment. When he saw how tense she was he tried teasing her. "You look like a kitten that knows it's going to the vet."

"I know exactly how that kitten feels now," she replied unhappily.

He reached out and brushed his fingers against her cheek and said gently, "it will be OK Eri."

"What if it's not?" she asked anxiously.

He pulled her close and kissed her. "I meant no matter what the result is, it will be OK," he told her firmly.

They went and had the test done, and the doctor Wei who'd been Eri's pediatrician quietly informed them of the result.

Takumi looked at Eri's white face and asked, "can we have a little while alone before we continue?"

Wei nodded and left them together.

Takumi pulled Eri into his lap and hugged her. She didn't resist or respond, just sat passively.

"It's OK Eri," he told her softly.

She started to cry and turned her face into him. "I'm sorry," Eri sobbed into his shoulder.

"It's OK," he repeated quickly.

"It must be, from that morning," she cried.

He shook his head and denied it, "no. I didn't examine any of the condoms against a light or anything. And it really doesn't matter why, all that matters is what you want to do about it."

Eri froze and paled again, tears still poured down her face.

He hugged her anxiously, and asked, "Eri?"

After a long moment she asked in a choked whisper, "do you want it? Really want it?"

"Eri, it doesn't matter what I want," he replied quickly.

"It does!" she protested. She swallowed hard and said, "I don't want it, but I think it will be OK to have it if one of its parents really wants it."

He was quiet for a few minutes and she cried against his shoulder while he thought. Finally he replied, "I want it, and I want you. Honestly, I felt happy for a moment when he told us."

She looked at him in surprise. "Why?" she sniffled.

He admitted with chagrin, "because I'm apparently really possessive of you. My first thought was, 'now she won't be able to leave me.' And I know that is stupid and untrue, but that was my first response." He caressed her cheek and told her, "but even if you won't stay with me, I don't want you to get rid of it. I do want our baby Eri."

She examined his face intently and he waited. After a minute she asked, "are you sure?"

He nodded and kissed her gently and said, "I'm sure."

"OK," she agreed.

He hugged her tightly and whispered, "thank you."

She tried to smile for him but it was a fragile, wavering attempt and he cradled her gently and said, "don't worry, I'll take good care of you both."

She swallowed and replied anxiously, "babies are really expensive aren't they?"

He laughed a little and said, "this is going to sound like a stupid little rich kid response, but money really doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure I can take care of you on my own, but if I can't I can just ask my parents for help. You don't have to worry about anything like that Eri."

She stared at him. He blushed and shrugged. After a few moments he asked hesitantly, "I don't want to add any more stress for you right now, but will you at least consider marrying me?"

She gazed at him with distress and he hugged her and said reassuringly, "you don't have to decide or worry about it right now or anything, I'd just like you to consider it before the baby is born."

"OK," she agreed, "I'll think about it." But then she added unhappily, "but I don't think getting married just because I got pregnant is a good idea, I don't think I should marry you unless I'm sure I love you."

He winced and nodded.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's OK Eri," he kissed her gently. "I already told you I'll wait for you, and I meant it."

She cuddled into him.

When the doctor returned he gave them lots of information on pregnancy and development to read later. He prescribed vitamins for Eri, and then suggested that she find a doctor or midwife who specialized in that field to oversee her health in the coming months.

Takumi told him sharply, "not that doctor we saw on Monday."

Wei grimaced and replied, "I'm sorry, she really is a very good doctor, but I'm afraid she let her own troubles with her family color your visit."

"I don't care, that's too bad, but not her," Takumi replied firmly.

He gave them several other recommendations to contact and then they left.


	12. Fiction

Takumi looked at Eri as he helped her with her jacket and said suddenly, "let's celebrate."

"Celebrate?" she replied doubtfully.

"You don't want to?" he asked wryly, and was unsurprised when she shook her head.

He reached out and cupped her face and suggested, "then let's go do what we should have been doing to get you pregnant this fast."

"What?" she asked.

"Come with me and find out?" he suggested with a grin.

"OK," she agreed trustingly.

He kissed her deeply and buckled her helmet on.

He took her to a love hotel. She gripped his hand tightly and trailed after him as they walked in.

They surveyed the display of rooms on the wall, and Eri looked around in confusion. "It's all automated?" she asked after a moment.

He nodded, then grinned at her and asked teasingly, "see any rooms you like, my little innocent?"

"Why didn't we just go back to your apartment?" she asked instead of answering.

He pulled her close and whispered, "because I'm going to make you scream and cry." Her eyes widened in alarm, and he relented a little and added, "with pleasure, I hope."

She blushed.

He kissed her again and asked, "so, any preference?"

She looked shyly at the displays again and pointed at one of the darker ones. He held his hand up to it and asked doubtfully, "this one?"

She nodded and he selected it. It charged him and issued their key and room number, and he led her to the elevator.

When they entered the room he looked around and said with surprise, "this is better than I thought." It was a solar system theme, and the dark walls and ceiling twinkled with thousands of tiny lights representing stars.

Curiously he asked, "what made you choose it?"

Eri pointed at the bed shyly and said, "it looked so round and it's covered in clouds."

He looked at the bed that represented a blue planet and grinned at her. "It is," he agreed, and tossed his jacket onto a small red planet that was either a stool or a table.

He undressed her slowly, and she shyly undressed him in return. Her face was already flushed with desire when he removed the last piece of her clothing and he abandoned his plans and simply laid her down and entered her.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she gasped. "I can feel you touching me inside!"

He grinned at her and whispered, "no condom." He started to move and and watched her face with pleasure as she responded.

They finished quickly, and he spread her legs and used his mouth to make her come again. He only let her rest for a moment before he was inside her again, and this time he wasn't surprised when she orgasmed again right away, he just held onto her and continued when it passed.

After the fifth time she moaned and said, "Takumi, stop, I feel like I'm going to pass out."

"A little more," he whispered and pulled her knees over his arms and lifted her as he slid all the way into her making her arch and whimper. She cried out his name plaintive and high when she came again and he finished, and fell over on the bed beside her.

He gathered her into his arms and petted her and covered her in little kisses. She gazed at him and begged, "stop touching me please."

He looked at her in shocked surprise and released her.

After a moment she said, "you can hold me, but stop moving, I can't stand any more."

"What?" he asked, hesitantly pulling her back into his arms.

"My whole body is vibrating everytime you touch me," she complained.

He caressed her and she arched and shuddered, and he stared at her with wide eyed surprise.

"Don't move," she pleaded.

He froze and she closed her eyes and lay limply in his arms.

"Wow," he whispered.

"What?" she asked plaintively.

"I've never had a woman come when I just touched her before, I mean, I know about multiple orgasms, but wow…" he told her in an amazed tone.

She laughed a little and asked, "is that what it is?"

"I think so," he replied seriously.

After another minute she said, "I think I'm OK now and you can move a little."

He tucked her into his arms more securely and petted her gently and she relaxed and sighed and cuddled against him. "I'm laying in a puddle," she complained after a moment.

He scooped her up and rolled her over him to lay against his other side. She gazed at him with wide eyes and he kissed her. "Sorry, it's messier without condoms," he admitted. Then he grinned at her and said, "and this is how I should have knocked you up."

She gazed at him silently and his grin faded and he asked, "did you hate it?"

She shook her head quickly, although she said, "I'm not sure I want to do this much very often."

"OK," he agreed, and kissed her gently.

A tone rang through the room and Eri looked around with a puzzled expression.

"That's our time warning," he told her. "If we stay more than another thirty minutes it charges for the night."

She sat up and he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers before asking, "do you want to stay?"

She looked at him and shook her head. "I'm kind of hungry," she complained.

They showered quickly and left.


	13. Happiness?

Takumi kept grinning at her while they ate and she said, "you look really happy."

His grin faded and and he said, "sorry, are you very unhappy?"

She looked at him anxiously and said, "I don't want you to be sorry, I like seeing you happy."

He smiled hesitantly and replied, "but you're not happy."

She just looked at him for a moment and then said, "I'm not unhappy either. I think I just feel numb." She looked at his worried expression and added, "but I like seeing you happy, I'm sorry I said something."

He leaned over the table and kissed her forehead gently. When he sat again he said, "I do feel pretty happy, I'm just worried about you. I want you to feel happy too."

She swallowed and asked, "do you think you can just feel happy enough for both of us until I get used to the idea?"

He gazed at her for a few minutes and then agreed, "I'll try, if that's what you want."

"Please," she replied quietly.

He summoned up a real smile for her and said, "I love you."

She blushed and looked down at her hands and saw her ring. After a moment she said quietly, "now I'm really glad you wanted to get rings and told me you loved me right away. If we'd found out first, I think I would have thought you were doing it because I'm pregnant."

He stuck his tongue out at her and she stared at him with surprise. "I'm glad I rushed you then," he told her. "I'm only happy about the baby because it's yours Eri, and we wouldn't have made it if I hadn't wanted you first," he added with a grin.

She smiled at him hesitantly and his grin widened. "Please say I'm taking you home with me tonight?" he begged.

She blushed and nodded.

In the morning, after they dried off, he handed her the yukata again and asked hesitantly, "maybe you could bring over some clothes to keep here?"

Eri gazed at him uncomfortably and shrugged.

Takumi kissed her lightly and carried off the laundry.

Eri dressed in the yukata and laid down on his bed and stared out at the city. She realized uncomfortably that except for when Takumi was having sex with her, she just felt… numb. She didn't want to move, or think, or anything.

When he returned she was still laying there. He walked over and bent down to kiss her cheek and asked, "did I wear you out? Are you OK Eri?"

"I'm OK," she replied.

"Are you hungry?" he asked after a moment.

She didn't answer right away, and when she did answer she said, "I don't know."

He looked at her with a worried expression that she didn't look up to see. He settled onto the bed behind her. After a minute he asked, "want some icecream?"

She turned towards him and gave him a startled look and asked with shock, "for breakfast?"

He grinned at her and gathered her up into his arms. She returned his kiss warmly, and he replied after a moment, "I'll feed you anything that will make you feel hungry. What do you want?"

"Anything?" she asked dubiously.

"Anything," he agreed.

She thought for a long moment and then asked uncertainly, "waffles?"

He smiled and said, "OK, we'll have to go out to breakfast though."

"I don't want to go out," she said unhappily. Then added, "I'll have to go to work in a while anyway though."

"Do you want to call in sick?" he asked.

She shook her head and objected, "I think I should work as much as possible until I get too pregnant."

He gazed at her for a long minute, and then his phone went off. He sighed and reached for it. He stared at it with such a reluctant expression that Eri asked, "what's wrong?"

His lips quirked and he replied obscurely, "I guess I should answer." Then he warned her, "it's a video call."

Eri sat up and checked that the yukata was still fastened securely while he answered it.

"Were your mother senses tingling?" Takumi asked his mother with amusement.

She raised her eyebrows at him and replied, "I was just calling because both your father and I will be home for three days next week and we'd like to see you. What happened? Are you OK?"

Takumi scooted over to Eri and hugged her against him, tilting his phone so that they were both in the pick up area. His mother looked at the startled expression the girl wore and suggested, "you could introduce us to your girlfriend in person instead of over the phone?"

Eri stared at Takumi's mother's image shyly.

"I will," he promised, "and don't tease her too much. She's your fan, and she's having my baby."

His mother's eyes went wide, but Eri went pale and froze in his arms and Takumi looked at her and said abruptly, "I'll call you later," and hung up.

"I'm sorry," he said anxiously, "should I not have told her?"

Eri shrugged helplessly.

He cupped her cheek with his hand and asked, "talk to me?"

"I don't know," she replied anxiously after a moment.

He kissed her gently but she didn't respond much. He sighed and sat back and looked at her for a moment.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

He hugged her to him for a moment and replied, "Eri, I'm the one that should be saying sorry."

She looked up at him doubtfully and he kissed her again and asked, "what about crepes? I have enough stuff I could make those here?" She blinked at him, and he added wryly, "for breakfast?"

She nodded.

It didn't take him very long and she looked at the plate he presented her and smiled at him a little. He smiled back at her and then scooped up a dollop of cream and made a dot on her nose with it.

"Takumi," she protested gently, and he leaned in and kissed her nose, sucking the dot of cream up while his lips were on her. He licked his fingers and she laughed. He grinned at her and kissed her deeply.

She smiled at him when he released her and he suggested, "eat?"

She ate and told him seriously, "this is delicious, it makes me afraid to try cooking for you."

He looked at her with surprise and asked, "why? I want you to cook for me anytime you feel like it?"

She told him a little anxiously, "all the things I know how to make are plain compared to your cooking."

After a moment he replied, "it sounds like by trying to impress you I've intimidated you instead. I'm sorry Eri. I'll eat anything you make happily."

She looked at him in surprise and asked, "you've been trying to impress me?"

He grinned at her and replied quickly, "of course I have, I'm trying to persuade you to fall for me?"

"I really like you," she replied a little unhappily.

"I'm so glad," he told her cheerfully.

She blinked at him in surprise and he grinned at her. She smiled hesitantly and he slid his arm around her and whispered into her ear, "and if you don't keep eating, I'm going to feed you with my mouth."

She blushed and took another bite quickly.

He pouted at her.

Takumi took her to work and then called his mother back. She asked him wryly, "I take it you didn't warn her that you were going to tell your parents?"

He shook his head.

"How long have you been dating?" she asked after a moment.

He blushed and told her, "a week."

"Takumi!" Hikaru protested.

He said quickly, "we were using protection but it didn't work. We found out when we went in to get birth control."

"That must have been a shock?" Hikaru asked after a moment.

"That's an understatement," he replied unhappily. "But she's agreed to keep the baby if I want it, and I'm doing my best to make her really fall in love with me. Right now she will only say that she likes me."

"Well she's only known you for a week? Or have you known her longer and only been dating for a week?" she asked dryly.

"We've only known each other for a week, but I love her already. She's so damned cute, and everything shows on her face, and her blushes are like a storybook," Takumi explained enthusiastically.

Hikaru laughed and said gently, "and now I understand even better why your grandmother was always telling me that I was just like my father when I was younger. You're really are just like your father Takumi." She added more seriously, "take good care of her. And while I really want to meet her, if it's too soon for her, we can wait."

He grinned affectionately at his mother and said, "thank you, I really don't know yet."

"OK," she replied, and then looked at something off to the side and said, "I have to go, love you."

"Love you too," he replied quickly before she ended the call.


	14. Frozen

When Takumi picked Eri up after work he kissed her gently for several minutes before asking, "how does grilled steak sound?"

She looked at him blankly and replied doubtfully after a moment, "expensive?"

He blinked at her and told her quickly, "it wasn't bad today, so I got a pound. I'm asking how you'd like it cooked? If you don't want it I can chop it for stirfry and freeze it?"

"Oh," she replied after a moment, "it sounds good then."

He kissed her again and buckled her into her helmet.

While he was cooking he said, "maybe I should start looking for a bigger apartment."

She looked over at him unhappily, and said, "Takumi, I still don't know if I want to move in with you."

He looked up at her and opened his mouth, but then closed it again and considered her quietly. After a moment he replied neutrally, "if you still don't want the baby when it arrives, I'll need a bigger place even if you won't stay with me. And in the meantime, I think I want a real refrigerator instead of this mini. I've got it completely crammed."

"Oh," she replied, "sorry."

"It's not your fault," he told her softly.

She looked at him doubtfully and he repeated it.

After dinner he cuddled up to her and asked, "is there anything I can do to make you feel happier right now?"

She leaned against him and told him, "I'm OK." He looked at her and she said hesitantly, "I just feel kind of numb except when we're having sex." She blushed.

"Oh," he replied and suggested, "let's have sex all night then."

"OK," she agreed and her lips reddened as she lifted her face for his kiss.

He told her, "you're so cute," and kissed her until she was breathless. Then he slid the yukata off her and fondled her breasts while he nibbled at her ears.

Her legs spread invitingly and he got to his knees and pushed her down. He slid into her and she moaned, "it feels so good."

He agreed, "so very good. I'm so glad you're pregnant."

She gasped in shock at his words but he didn't wait for her to get over the shock, instead he thrust into her and made her gasp again from the impact.

When she came he held back, though barely, and as soon as her orgasm was fading he thrust into her again. He grinned in triumph when she came again a few strokes later. The third time he couldn't hold back any more and finished while she was just beginning to shudder from it.

She lay passively while he toweled her off, and he asked, "what's wrong?"

She looked at him sleepily and complained, "you do too much to me. Sometimes can you just do it like the first time again, where you didn't keep doing more?

"Yes," he agreed. She smiled a little and her eyes closed and didn't open again.

He tucked her in against him and pulled the covers over her gently. He was almost asleep when her phone went off. He looked at her but she didn't even twitch at the sound. He sat up and looked at it, the call was from her mother, so he answered it.

"Oh!" she said in a shocked tone when she saw his bare shoulders in the dim light. "Were you already sleeping Takeshi-kun?"

"Eri is, I wasn't quite asleep yet," he replied quickly.

"It's OK," she told him, "I just wanted to ask if you'd both come to lunch tomorrow at about two? Yuki is coming home for a visit."

"Eri's sister?" he enquired after a moment.

"Yes, and her husband Eiji," she told him cheerfully.

"OK, I'll bring her," he agreed.

They said goodnight and he cuddled back up to Eri and fell asleep.

He woke up with her mounted on top of him rocking her hips and he groaned and came a moment later. He stared up at her in confusion.

"Are you really awake now?" she asked with embarrassment.

"Yes," he replied and then said teasingly, "I really need you to marry me so I can wake up this way for the rest of my life!"

He regretted it when she started to cry. He pulled her down against him and asked anxiously, "Eri?" He told her quickly, "I was just teasing you, not really demanding anything? I'm sorry."

"It's not that," she protested.

"What is it then?" he asked worriedly.

"When I woke up you were pushing into me and when I moved you pulled me onto you, I thought you were awake at first. But you you didn't seem to hear me," she said unhappily.

"I'm sorry," he replied uncertainly, "I was probably dreaming about it."

"Yes," she agreed miserably, "you moaned someone else's name, something like Reiko. And then you woke up for real."

He blushed and told her, "gods, I'm sorry Eri. I don't know what to say. Or what I can do about it?"

"I don't know," she replied sadly.

Suddenly he asked, "you didn't come yet did you?"

She looked up at him in confusion and shook her head.

"I love you Eri," he told her seriously. "I have no idea what I was dreaming, and I can't promise it will never happen again, but I really love you. I'll do anything you want. How do you want me to do it for you this morning?"

She stared at him.

"What have we done that you've liked best, if there's nothing new you want to try?"

Hesitantly she asked, "could we try it in the tub? When I was sitting in your lap I think I kind of wished you would slide into me."

She blushed like fire and he replied, "hell yes," and rolled out of bed, dashed into the bathroom and started the bath.

When he had her on his lap in the tub, he used his hands on her hips to rock her up and down and she responded with pleasure at first, but after a little bit she said, "I'm sorry Takumi, this doesn't feel very good."

He stopped and asked her worriedly, "what's wrong?"

She replied hesitantly, "I'm not sure, but it feels like maybe you're forcing water into me with the movement?"

He stared at her for a moment and then shifted his grip and moved her in a smaller tighter stroke. "Is this any better?" he questioned.

She nodded and began to pant. He sped up and she came. When she'd recovered her breath she asked, "what did you change?"

"I stopped pulling all the way out between strokes," he murmured into her hair.

"Oh," she said and laughed.

He smiled and told her a few minutes later, "I forgot to tell you when we woke up, but your mother called after you were asleep. Your sister is visiting and I said we'd go have lunch with your family at two."

She looked at him with surprise but agreed, "OK."


	15. Pregnant

When they arrived at Eri's home her very pregnant sister turned around where she was seated at the table and exclaimed, "wow! He's hot!"

Takumi blushed, and Eri's brother in law looked at his wife and complained, "if I said that about a woman I'd just met you'd hit me!"

Yuki looked at her husband affectionately and told him smugly, "don't worry Eiji, you're very cute and I adore you." Then she looked back at Takumi and Eri standing in the entry and said cheerfully, "I'm so glad we decided to come down even though we only had one day. I'm almost too pregnant to travel." She patted her belly.

Eri stared at her sister's belly and burst into tears.

Her family stared at her in a moment of worried shock while Takumi pulled her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. He looked at her family and said, "um, hi. We're pregnant?"

After a taking a deep breath, Minami looked at his wife and said, "your father is going to laugh himself sick." He looked back at his youngest daughter and her new boyfriend and continued, "he's been waiting for this day ever since I showed up on your doorstep at midnight."

Takumi explained, "we found out when we went in for birth control."

Miyuki said dryly after a moment, "another case of locking the barn after the horse is stolen. Or something like that?"

Takumi replied, "not exactly, we were being careful, we just hit that one in ten thousand."

Eri cried in his arms for a little bit, and when she finally calmed down, they joined her family at the table. As she settled shyly at his side, he commented quietly with an amused grin, "I see your sister gets your father's eyes and your mother's hair instead."

Yuki laughed and Eri complained, "everyone always tells us that she takes after our mother more than I do, but they're not even related genetically."

Takumi stared at her and asked, "what?"

Yuki laughed and told him cheerfully, "I have a different biological mother, but our mother is still my real mother."

"OK?" he replied questioningly.

Yuki looked at her father and said with a grin, "our father knocked up one of his flings when he was young, so he won't have any room to scold you."

Miyuki added quickly, "it was before he met me!"

"Anyway, our mother immediately arranged to adopt me as soon as that woman decided she didn't want a baby." She hesitated before adding, "I visit with her a little every few years because she kind of regrets it sometimes, but she's not my mother. Our grandparents on that side are great though!"

Miyuki said, "well, they are now, but it took them awhile to adjust, and they almost sued for custody. Yuki was premature, she was born during our wedding ceremony, and her grandmother thought that I wouldn't be able to take proper care of her!" She looked indignant.

Minami hugged his wife and told them, "Miyuki insisted on naming her Yuki, for courage, and spent our honeymoon in the hospital with our new daughter while I frantically tried prepare our apartment alone between visits. She really did all the baby care at first."

Takumi grinned and said, "I have an uncle named Yuki, but his is like snow, like a girl. You're backwards."

Miyuki and Yuki laughed. Minami shrugged and told Takumi, "so we've been there already, with the unexpected baby coming. It's stressful. Welcome to the family?"

Eri said uncomfortably, "I don't know if we'll get married."

Takumi hugged her and said calmly, "even if you decide you won't marry me, I'll still be your child's father."

After a few moments Eri nodded and smiled at him shyly.

Yuki told Eri enthusiastically, "now we can talk about baby stuff together!"

Eri went white and Takumi looked at her sister and asked ruefully, "could you not yet? Eri is still pretty unhappy about it." He hugged her against his side protectively.

Eri nodded when her sister looked at her.

"Oh, OK," Yuki agreed, then she asked, "did you just find out today?"

Takumi replied when Eri just cringed, "the test was Friday afternoon."

"I just need time to get used to the idea I think," Eri said faintly when her sister looked at her with surprise.

Eiji scolded his wife gently, "you wanted to get pregnant, imagine how you might have felt if it had happened right after our first time?"

"Can we talk about something else?" Eri asked plaintively.

Eiji obliged his sister in law by telling his wife's family about his latest projects at work, and Yuki contributed proud complaints about how much he was getting done and how much time he was spending on it.

When they finally headed home, Yuki and Eiji both hugged Eri affectionately and Yuki told her quietly, "be brave Eri, you'll do great, and he seems like a good guy. I know you wouldn't have chosen a bad guy."

Eri gazed at her in mute surprise, but then nodded.

After they were gone, Takumi asked, "want help with your homework before I go?"

Eri looked at him with such a stricken expression that he told her, "I'd be really happy if you decide to come home with me instead." If anything, she paled, and he asked anxiously, "what's wrong, what did I say?"

"I completely forgot I had homework, my tablet is still at your apartment," she said anxiously.

"So come home with me," he suggested.

"I shouldn't always sleep at your place," she told him unhappily.

Some of his disappointment showed when Takumi looked her.

Miyuki looked at his expression and leaned over and whispered, "her father wouldn't let me move in with him until after he agreed to marry me, you'll have to be patient. They both act sweet and quiet, but they're really stubborn about silly things."

He laughed. Then he pouted at Eri and told her, "fine, I'll bring you home again when you're ready."

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's not that far," he told her comfortingly. "Don't worry about it." Then he asked teasingly, "want to bring a few clothes in case you change your mind?"

She shook her head and objected, "if I take clothes you'll persuade me to stay."

He grinned at her and said lightly, "if you're persuadable, I'll persuade you to stay without clothes too, I like it when you're naked."

"Takumi!" she objected. With her cheeks flaming she begged him, "don't say things like that in front of my parents?"

Minami said complacently, "it's OK Eri, I still like it when your mother is naked too." He leaned over and kissed his wife affectionately.

Eri covered her face and demanded, "let's go now Takumi!"

He leapt to his feet and agreeably bundled her out the door, with a quick, "see you later."


	16. Want

While he was parking the bike, Eri told Takumi with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, my parents are always like that."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Teasing each other about sex and making out," she replied and blushed adorably.

Takumi grinned at her and said, "your parents are fine, wait until you meet mine. You've never seen such a ridiculously love-love couple."

She looked at him in confusion as he walked her to the elevator and asked, "but you made it sound like they're so busy they hardly get to see each other?"

"They are, but when they're together they're like teenagers. They completely stick to each other, and kiss all the time," he complained.

Eri laughed and he pouted at her, and unlocked his door.

When he shut the door behind them, he pressed up against her back and reached for her breasts.

"Takumi don't," she protested.

"Why?" he asked plaintively.

"If we start having sex, I won't get my homework done," she replied with embarrassment.

He nibbled the edge of her ear and suggested, "I could do your homework while you're asleep after?"

"No!" she protested. Then complained, "please stop pushing me?"

Immediately contrite, he told her quickly, "I'm sorry Eri, I really don't want to push you, I just want you." He hugged her and released her.

She watched him walk to the counter of his tiny kitchenette and pull out a lollipop. Then she walked over and opened her tablet up, sat on his bed, and started her first assignment.

After a couple minutes he climbed onto the bed and settled against the headboard. Everytime she glanced up at him she blushed a little, and after a while he asked with amusement, "what are you thinking when you look at me like that?"

Her blush spread over her like a wave and he grinned and said, "you are so freaking cute."

She shook her head and he leaned forward and ran his finger through her curls and told her, "you're seriously killing me Eri. I don't know what to do right now."

She stared at him in surprise and asked anxiously, "what's wrong?"

He cupped her cheek in his hand and said reassuringly, "nothing. I just want to do you, sleep beside you, do you again, go to work, come home and do you again, and repeat."

She gazed at him open mouthed and he slipped his lollipop into her mouth and sat back.

After a moment she pulled the lollipop out of her mouth and said quietly, "OK, let's have sex next, but you'll really have to help me with my math assignment."

His eyes lit up, but he hesitated and told her, "I really want to, but you don't have to let me just because I'm wanting you."

She blushed again and looked away before saying shyly, "every time I looked up you have been sucking on your candy and it makes me think of how you suck on me. I want you to."

He had her naked and moaning in under two minutes, and her tablet fell off the bed a few minutes later.

When he finished she looked at him and said, "wow, that was fast!"

He kissed her again and replied a little anxiously, "you said you want me to just do you without a lot of extra sometimes?"

She cuddled into him and nodded, before saying shyly, "yes, I loved it."

He ran his hand over her hip and sighed, "I guess now we do homework."

"Sorry," she said unhappily.

He kissed her again and said, "I'm not sorry, and if we finish it quickly enough, I want to do this again after."

She blushed.

He regretfully took her home later, and kissed her a dozen times before he let her walk into her parents building.

When he got home he called his father, and when it went to voicemail he simply said without surprise, "call me soon, I've got a question."

His father called back a few minutes later and asked, "what's up?"

Takumi hesitated and started with, "did oka-san tell you about my girlfriend?"

Kiri replied with amusement, "you mean did Hikaru tell me you've knocked up a little girl that you seem to be head over heels for? Yes."

"She's not a little girl!" Takumi objected immediately.

"Oh?" Kiri asked with interest. "What's her job like?"

Takumi replied with irritation, "she just has a part-time job, she's still in college. But she's not a little girl, she's already 20." Then he complained, "and this kind of thing isn't what I called to talk about."

"OK," Kiri agreed with amusement. "What did you want to ask?"

Takumi covered his face with his hand and said miserably, "oka-san has always said you waited patiently for her to be ready for everything. How did you manage it?"

Kiri grinned at his eldest son and replied, "I've never waited patiently for Hikaru in my life!"

Takumi stared at his father and objected, "even I have seen you wait patiently for her to be done working on a song or something."

Kiri shook his head and replied, "congratulations on falling in love. I don't know what to tell you. I never feel patient, I just try to let her do things at a pace that makes her happy. I love making her happy. That's all."

Takumi stared at his father for so long that Kiri said apologetically, "sorry. Sometimes I wait with resignation?"

Takumi shook his head and replied, "no, I'm glad I asked. I don't know how to make her happy, is all."

"Ask?" suggested Kiri.

Takumi groaned and told him, "she has only told me she wants me to wait for her, and not to push her."

Kiri said sympathetically, "do your best. If she asked that directly, she probably really needs some time?"

Takumi nodded unhappily.

Kiri switched subjects and said, "I'm thinking of retiring next year so I can spend more time with her."

Takumi looked at his father and objected, "but you're only sixty."

Kiri grinned at him and said, "but we can afford it, and I want to have some time to follow my wife around like one of her groupies before I'm too old! Besides, since Hatsuharu retired from the band, she's running all over the place with that pretty young drummer, I can't give her too much room?"

Takumi rolled his eyes and said, "oka-san will never cheat on you, and groupies? Maybe you really are getting old enough to retire. No one calls their fans that anymore."

Kiri looked at his son and asked abruptly, "is she worth waiting for?"

Takumi looked back angrily and replied, "absolutely!"

Kiri grinned and said cheerfully, "then don't worry, you'll be fine."

Takumi laid in bed and wished Eri were cuddled up against his side and stared out at the city lights until he finally fell asleep.


	17. Yield

Eri stared at Chisa when they met in their first class and wondered how you are supposed to tell your best friend that you let a man you've barely known a week knock you up during the first three days. She thought it would be nice if there were a card or something for that.

Chisa caught her staring and blushed. "What?" she asked with embarrassment.

Eri opened her mouth but couldn't make words come out, so she just closed it again and shrugged helplessly.

Chisa rolled her eyes and said, "you'll understand when it happens to you and you're willing to do what he wants whenever he wants."

Eri looked at her in confusion and asked, "what?"

Chisa sighed and whispered, "we'll talk after class, OK? Everything is fine, don't worry."

"OK?" Eri agreed uncertainly, feeling completely lost.

Chisa spent her lunch with her lover and Eri felt a little lonely.When they met at the break between their classes in the afternoon, Eri blurted, "I'm pregnant."

Chisa stared at her in shock and then said angrily, "I told you to make sure he was careful with you!"

"We were careful, mostly," Eri replied miserably.

"What do you mean mostly?" Chisa asked sharply.

Eri explained how she'd slid onto him their first morning together while she was still half asleep.

Chisa stared at her and asked with alarm, "that's it? And you got pregnant from that?"

Eri said uncertainly, "I don't know, Takumi said it could have been because he didn't examine each condom first?"

Chisa paled and said, "oh my god."

Eri felt relieved in a way that her friend seemed to feel as alarmed as she had. But then Chisa mumbled, "I'm going to have to tell him we can't do that anymore if that's all it took to get you pregnant."

"What?" Eri asked in confusion.

Chisa blushed and looked away from Eri before telling her in a faint voice, "he hates condoms."

"Chisa," Eri asked with alarm, "you yelled at me but you're having unprotected sex?"

"Well, he pulls out every time and comes in my mouth instead," Chisa said a little defensively. "And I've got the implant."

Eri asked worriedly, "it's only 80% isn't it, because you went for the low impact?"

Chisa nodded.

The class time notification arrived and they agreed to meet in the afternoon after Chisa's club activities were finished.

Eri messaged Takumi her plans and he asked if she'd be able to see him after she was done with her friend.

She felt a little guilty for putting him off so she asked, 'do you want me to spend the night even if we're not done until really late?'

She felt surprisingly pleased by his response of, 'hell yes! Please come.'

She finished her homework while Chisa was at her club. When they met up they went out for parfaits and didn't really talk about their problems until after they'd finished.

Finally Chisa said miserably, "I feel like it's all my fault you're pregnant, I'm so sorry Eri."

Eri looked at her in shock and asked, "how on earth are you responsible for me getting pregnant!?"

Chisa gazed at her and explained, "ever since that jerk abandoned you I've been pushing you to date someone."

"Don't be ridiculous," Eri told her.

"But I messaged you to be brave and have fun, that as long as you were careful, you'd be safe," she said unhappily.

Eri blushed and said, "I did not have sex with Takumi because you told me to have fun!"

"Why did you?" she asked curiously. "Everytime I ask if you think someone is hot, you're like, 'he seems nice', or 'he was very polite'."

Eri blushed and said, "I did think he was pretty, but I didn't feel like I wanted to try it until we'd been kissing for awhile. And he asked me half a dozen times if I was sure, so it's definitely not your fault. It's my fault."

They talked for awhile. After Eri told Chisa uncomfortably that she really didn't want to talk about being pregnant until she'd had a while to get used to it, Chisa talked about her clubs and a movie that she wanted to see soon, and a net game that she'd heard was really good.

Eri hugged her and said, "thank you, this morning I was so scared to tell you."

Chisa replied unhappily, "I love you Eri, no matter how horrible it is, don't be afraid to tell me anything!"

Eri looked at her in surprise and Chisa said, "you're the best friend I've ever had, and I know I've gotten busy lately, but just demand I make time for you when you need it, OK?"

"OK," Eri agreed, and hugged her again.


	18. Sweet Days

Takumi picked her up from her parents place and took the small bag of clothes from her with glee.

Eri smiled a little and said, "you look so happy."

"I'm incredibly happy," he agreed.

She was expecting him to demand sex as soon as they arrived so she was a little surprised when he just kissed her warmly and then cheerfully shuffled things around in the drawers under his bed until he could put her clean clothes away.

She cuddled up to him in bed happily after they did it once, simply, and quickly, and he asked, "want to watch a movie or have some music on?"

She nodded and he showed her how to stream from his storage to his TV, and also authorized her phone so she could stream her own things to it if she wanted. They watched a short, cheerful comedy, and then he made love to her slowly once more before they fell asleep in a tangle.

Morning came too soon but she woke up with his mouth on her breasts, and it felt so good that she didn't complain about how tired she felt. She spread her legs for him and he rolled onto her and kissed her mouth hard as he slid into her.

She moaned into his mouth, a small suffocated noise that turned him on so much that he came before she did. He apologized so unhappily that she laughed and said, "Takumi, sometimes you make me come at least three times before you come, why is it bad if I don't come sometimes?"

"Because I want to make you feel good every time!" he told her promptly.

"I feel good," she told him cheerfully.

He looked at her dubiously and she said, "I mean it, it felt so good, and I feel good right now."

He kissed her again and his alarm went off and he pouted at her and asked, "can I have you again tonight?"

Her smile faded and he said quickly, "you don't have to, but I want to?"

"I think I should sleep at home," she said unhappily.

He caressed her face and said calmly, "alright Eri. Do you want to go on a date anywhere in the evening?"

She looked at him and said, "I don't know, do you want to surprise me?"

He grinned at her and said, "sure."

They ate cereal again before he took her to the college and went to work.

Chisa slid into her seat in the class Eri's uncle taught in tears.

Eri looked at her in alarm and Chisa wiped her eyes and said, "I'm fine, don't draw attention to me!"

The class passed quickly and Eri wanted to ask what was wrong but her uncle asked Chisa to stay behind, so she went on to her next class when Chisa pushed her out the door.

Chisa looked at him and asked miserably, "am I going to flunk?"

Toriyama Kei looked at her unhappy face and replied gently, "only if you don't make any sort of effort to fix things soon?"

He stood up and locked the classroom door and said, "come here Chi-chan, and give me a hug like you did when you were little and tell me what's going on with you? I know Eri hates school and I've given up on trying to make her enjoy it, but you're different."

Chisa stared at him replied tartly, "you know I'm not a little girl anymore and if you hug me like that now I might assume you mean more?"

He walked forward and hugged her and muttered unhappily, "it might be better than watching you cry over a series of bastards who keep hurting you."

She looked up at him in disbelief and accused him, "you're just teasing me, if you meant that you'd be kissing me."

He bent and kissed her and said, "so, tell me? Why are you crying again?"

She stared up at him and blurted, "the guy I've been seeing said he doesn't want me if he has to use condoms, and Eri is pregnant."

"Bastard, dump him permanently," Kei advised after a moment of shocked silence. Then he asked faintly, "Eri is really pregnant? She said she just started dating?"

Chisa said guiltily, "I probably shouldn't have told you."

"Does her mother know?" he asked a little anxiously.

"I don't know," Chisa admitted. "She didn't want to talk about it, she said she needs time to get used to the idea."

"So do I," her uncle agreed.

Chisa looked at him and said seriously, "I meant it, I'm really going to take this the wrong way. You can't even pretend you didn't know I had such a crush on you in highschool!"

He grinned at her suddenly and said, "well, I was going to wait for you to finish growing up and figure out what you wanted from dating, but I don't think I can stand it." He said seriously, "I'm sick of watching you cry over other men," and kissed her again.

"You're not supposed to date your students," she pointed out between kisses.

"You'd better damn well pass my class and not take any more from me then," he told her seriously after a few more kisses.

"I think I might need private tutoring," she suggested.

He grinned at her brilliantly and said, "you're going to regret that."

Her heart pounded when she saw that grin, like it used to when she was in middle school and he was still a college student, and she said breathlessly, "I'm pretty sure I won't."

And then she pushed him away from her suddenly, and said, "I'm sorry, but I really love you, I've been in love with you forever I think, and I don't want to do this on a day that some other man made me cry."

He sighed and said, "I'll keep waiting for you if you promise not to date anyone else?"

She looked up at him in surprise and he touched his fingers to his own lips and then to hers. She nodded, and he walked over and unlocked the door.

When she met up with Eri at their last class together, Chisa was smiling so brilliantly that Eri felt completely confused.

Chisa looked at Eri's face and said, "don't worry, everything is great. Better than it's ever been. I'm breaking up with that jerk who refuses to be careful, and everything is wonderful!"

"OK?" Eri agreed helplessly. She'd never seen Chisa cheerful about a breakup before.

When Takumi picked her up for their date he grinned at her and whispered, "you look so beautiful tonight."

She looked at him in surprise and then looked down at herself and laughed. She was wearing a soft red knit shirt so fine it felt like a microfabric. "I'll try to wear red more often then?" she asked.

He kissed her and replied, "whatever you want to wear is fine Eri." He admitted, "though I do love this one, it clings to your every curve."

He took her out on the river for her surprise date. He'd hired a sailboat and arranged dinner and a short sail upriver.

She loved it but asked a little anxiously, "Takumi, should we be spending this much with a baby coming?"

He kissed her fingers and replied, "Eri, maybe we should talk about money? This much is fine?"

She bit her lip and replied uncertainly, "not tonight? But I love this, thank you."

He returned her home reluctantly, with many kisses.


	19. Decision

The next day Eri had so much homework that Takumi came to her parents place and just cuddled with her while she worked on it. When she apologized he asked quietly, "Eri, why do you think I'm unhappy like this?"

She looked at him and suggested tentatively, "because it's boring?"

"I'm sorry you're bored, I'm not bored, I love watching your face change as you struggle through your homework," he replied with a grin.

She blushed and his grin widened.

After dinner with her parents she asked regretfully, "I suppose you need to go home soon?"

He looked at her and replied, "unless you're going to invite me to spend the night here?"

She looked at him and asked, "would you?"

He gazed at her with a startled expression and said quickly, "of course I would."

"I'd like that," she told him shyly.

Her parents smirked at them when he glanced over for permission.

Eri asked her father for a yukata to lend Takumi, and it was amusingly short. They did laundry together on the roof before they unrolled the second futon and made up their bed. When they climbed into bed and Eri slid the screen shut, Takumi reached for her. She caught his hands and whispered, "if we do that, they'll hear us."

"I'll be quiet?" he suggested hopefully.

"You'll make me moan," she protested quietly.

"I'll cover your mouth," he promised.

She just looked at him and he reached for her again. She didn't resist this time and when she came he covered her mouth with his own and muffled her, and kept his own response to a quiet gasp.

He curled around her and whispered, "I love you more everyday Eri." He fell asleep contentedly, but Eri lay wrapped in his arms and felt guilty.

She felt more guiltily in the morning when he apologized that he needed to leave too early to take her to the college so that he could go back to his apartment and get his work things, even though he had clean clothes.

When he showed up to get her that afternoon, she looked at him and said miserably, "Takumi, I don't know what to do."

"What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

"I want to sleep with you every night, but I feel like it's wrong to move in with you suddenly," she complained.

He let out a sigh of relief and hugged her happily. "I want to sleep with you every night too, and why is that wrong?" he questioned.

She looked up at him anxiously and said, "because it will only have been two weeks tomorrow?"

"Mmm," he agreed. "We should celebrate."

She gave him a blank stare, and he grinned at her and said, "lots of people celebrate two weeks, then a month, then two months, and so on?"

"Oh," she said and blushed. "I told you I've barely dated."

"Yes," he agreed. Then he said, "Eri, god, I don't know what to do, if you tell me you want to sleep with me every night can I ask you again or not?"

"Ask me?" she asked.

"Please move in with me? I really really want you to," he said quickly.

"Oh," she replied.

He gave her an uncertain smile.

She blushed again and complained, "I guess I should, since it is silly to make you stay here so that I'm not spending every night at your place."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her and told her, "I wish you sounded more enthusiastic, but I'll take it. Thank you. I'm so freaking happy right now." He kissed her again.

"What will we do with my stuff?" she asked after a little while.

"Let's go apartment hunting, you can just bring what you need for now, and we can get a bigger place and bring the rest?" he suggested.

"OK," she agreed dubiously.

Miyuki laughed as she came up behind them and said cheerfully, "congratulations Takeshi-kun, now can you two give up the doorway?"

They both blushed and moved aside.


	20. Connections

Miyuki told her daughter, "you and Takumi-kun should both come to family night."

"Family night?" Takumi enquired curiously.

Eri blushed and explained, "at my grandparent's place once a month. Everyone who can make it comes to dinner."

Miyuki pouted and said, "Yuki already said they won't make it to this one, but at least they came to visit last weekend."

Eri asked shyly, "would you mind going? I think my grandparent's are pretty cool. My grandma is a manga artist, and my grandfather is retired now. But it gets crowded sometimes when very many of my aunts and uncles bring their kids."

Takumi grinned at her and said, "sure, I don't mind."

Takumi helped Eri pack enough to get by for a week and then carried her off triumphantly. She laughed as he had to make her mount and dismount three times to get her bag strapped on in a way that neither covered any of his signal lights or her seat.

They ordered delivery instead of going out and Eri said ruefully, "I should start cooking when you don't feel like cooking so that we don't spend so much.

Takumi set down his chopsticks and said, "OK, that's it. Let's talk about money."

Eri stared at him in surprise. Hesitantly she set down her food and said, "um, OK?"

Takumi said, "sorry, um, I would love it if you feel like cooking, but you don't have to. And you don't have to work until you're too pregnant to work either."

Eri stared at him with wide eyes and he ran his hands through his hair and continued, "I may not make enough to support you and the baby and keep going on six weeks of exotic vacations every year, but I think I probably make enough that I can take care of you and take a you somewhere fun for a couple of weeks every year. If there's anything you need, tell me." He added with embarrassment, "and going out on dates and eating out is stuff I've already been doing so it's not extra."

He looked at her a little anxiously and she asked after a moment, "but if we're going to get a bigger place, it will be more expensive?"

He looked around and grinned, then told her, "not necessarily, this place isn't cheap." He told her the amount his rent was currently, her eyes widened again and he asked, "do you have any idea what kind of place you'd like to get?"

Eri shook her head and Takumi picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating. She followed suit and after a little bit, he suggested, "let's start looking Saturday morning?"

"OK," she agreed.

In the morning Eri felt really tired again when she woke up with Takumi pressing into her. But his moan when she turned in his arms to see if he was awake made her want him, so she slid her leg over his hip and let him in.

After a moment he opened his eyes and whispered, "gods. I love mornings with you Eri." He kissed her enthusiastically and grabbed her hips firmly and settled her more comfortably into place.

When they finished and were getting ready to leave he said, "I meant it about celebrating today, is there anything you'd like to do? Anything I can buy you?"

She shrugged, and when he looked disappointed apologized, "I'm sorry, I don't know. What kinds of things do people usually do?"

Embarrassed, he told her, "well, I've usually gotten my girlfriends some bit of jewelry and flowers for anniversaries."

Eri said shyly, "I really liked the roses you got before. I do like flowers."

He hugged her against him and kissed her before saying, "OK, I'll get you something."

When they were arranging themselves on his bike Takumi said, "I should get you your own key, what are you going to do after class? Do you want my key?"

Eri looked at him in surprise and said, "should we bother getting me a key if we're just moving out soon? I can do my homework in the library until you're done with work, if Chisa didn't have club things again I'd hang out with her instead, because she just broke up with her latest boyfriend I think. We haven't really talked about it."

"Oh," he said with surprise and offered hesitantly, "I'm sorry, do you need to spend some time with her in the evening when she's done?"

Eri shrugged and said, "I'm not sure, she's been acting kind of weird lately. Crying in one class and totally happy in the next. But she seemed really happy all day yesterday. Can I let you know later?"

"Alright," he agreed, and set off sedately into the traffic.

Takumi was a little distracted at work and his coworkers teased him. When he told them he was trying to think of what to do for his two week celebration with his girlfriend Hori groaned and said, "god I hate you. Trade problems with me you freaking womanizer!"

Takumi protested, "I'm not womanizing, I adore her, and I'm totally serious!" He complained, "I need to think of something really good, I really want her to totally fall for me."

One of the married men suggested, "then make sure it's something she's comfortable with. My wife told me her favorite date when we were dating wasn't the times we dressed up and went out, but when we got icecream and spent the whole evening playing WorldCraft."

When he picked her up from the library, Eri told him worriedly, "Chisa said she's going to start dating my uncle, and that's why she's been so happy about breaking up with the guy she was… um dating."

Takumi looked at her helplessly and replied, "OK? Do you disapprove?"

Eri shrugged and said uncomfortably, "I don't know, she's had a crush on him forever. But he's a lot older, and he's always treated her like a little kid before now. I don't know?"

He hugged her gently and suggested, "so let them figure it out? Isn't the worst case that she finds out her crush was really just that and they break up after awhile?"

Eri looked up at him and protested, "but my uncle never dates anyone, that I know of."

Takumi grinned at her and asked suddenly, "so you're more worried that your friend will hurt your uncle? I thought you were worried about your friend."

She protested, "I'm worried about both of them, I love them both."

He reached up and slid his finger along one of her curls and said comfortingly, "then let's just hope they'll both be really happy in the end, whatever happens between them."

After a moment she nodded and pressed her cheek into his hand. He leaned in and kissed her and then asked, "want to go get icecream?"

She smiled up at him suddenly and nodded.


	21. Playing Around

She gazed at him in surprise when he took her to the grocery store. He looked at her expression and asked, "would you rather go to a shop? I thought you'd rather get it here because it's less expensive, and we can pick up ingredients for supper and breakfast?"

"I want to get it here," she agreed quickly.

She clung to his hand as they shopped and he watched her expressions change as she tried to choose a flavor with amusement. After a little while he asked, "why don't you just choose several you like?"

"They won't fit in your freezer," she pointed out.

"One or two will, and we can eat some right away?" he replied cheerfully.

"Which ones do you like best?" she asked. And then before he could answer, added anxiously, "don't say you don't care?"

He kissed her and replied cheerfully, "OK, I like chocolate or fruit flavors best." He added with a grin, "and don't complain that I'm not specifying a fruit, because I haven't found one I don't like yet."

"I don't like very many kinds of melon," she admitted, "or mangos."

"How about this cherry cheesecake flavor and that chocolate mint?" he suggested a couple that she'd looked at for awhile.

"OK," she agreed happily.

She gazed up at him in surprise again when they reached his door to find a bouquet of flowers waiting. He grinned at her and said, "well, I couldn't really surprise you with them if I made you choose them while we were shopping?"

She kissed him enthusiastically, and he drew in a deep breath and hurried her into the apartment and set everything on the counter before pulling her up tight against him and asking, "can we?"

She kissed him again and complained, "I want to, but our icecream will melt."

He turned and picked up the two flavors and asked, "which first?"

After a moment she chose the chocolate mint and he tucked the other one into the freezer and put away the other cold things before turning back to her and asking, "want to play with it?"

"Play with it?" she asked with puzzlement.

"Mix sex and eating," he replied with a suggestive grin. She looked at him with a startled expression and he added, "we can start by feeding it to each other?"

Shyly she nodded.

He pulled out a spoon and they sat on the bed near the balcony and he offered her the first bite. Then he kissed her and said teasingly, "you're delicious."

She fed him the next bite and watched as he sucked the spoon dry.

After a little while of exchanging he asked, "ready to do a little more?"

"OK?" she agreed curiously.

He took off his shirt and then hers and told her, "like this," as he pushed her back against the bed and dropped a small spoonful between her breasts. She gasped and he bent and licked it off of her. "You can put it anywhere you want me to put my mouth," he told her and dropped a spoonful onto his own belly and shivered as she rolled over and bent down to lick it off of him.

When she put a small amount on her nipple she gasped and said, "too cold!" But the heat of his mouth as he sucked it off of her made her moan in pleasure.

When he unfastened his pants and dropped a spoonful he agreed, "fuck that is cold." But when she licked it off of him he groaned and added breathlessly, "but totally worth it."

After a few more spoonfuls they abandoned the icecream.

When they finished, he picked up the carton and said smugly, "that was the best icecream I've ever eaten."

She laughed and complained, "but we wasted part of it."

He pounced on her and pinned her to the bed, and told her seriously, "anytime you want to waste food again, I'm totally up for it." He kissed her and said, "I loved every second of it."

She blushed so cutely that he had to kiss her again and she agreed, "it was fun."

He kissed her again and asked, "what would you like to do next? Should I tear up a few flowers and make love to you on a bed of roses? Do you want to go out? We can do anything you want."

She wrapped her arms around him and asked hesitantly, "can we take a nap then?"

He reached up and caressed her face and agreed, "sure." He rolled off of her and pulled the covers out from under her like a magician doing a table trick and she laughed. He covered her up and crawled in beside her. She fell asleep quickly and he watched her sleep for awhile.

When she woke up finally, she apologized and he looked at her and said, "it's fine Eri." He reached out and caressed her and said, "you'll probably get tired more often now, so don't be afraid to rest?"

She went pale and he apologized, "I'm sorry."

"It's OK, I just sort of forgot for awhile?" she told him uncomfortably.

He looked at her for a moment and said ruefully, "I'm really sorry Eri, it's not going to go away if you forget about it, but if you're happier when you're not thinking about it then I really want to distract you more."

She just looked at him for a minute. Then she asked, "want to go for a walk somewhere? It feels kind of like all we do is eat and have sex?"

"Too boring?" he asked uncomfortably.

She grinned at him suddenly, and said, "there's nothing boring about you Takumi, so can we do a few boring things sometimes so I have time to rest?"

He kissed her until she gasped for breath, then said, "I love you. Let's go walk by the river?"

"Yeah," she agreed with a shy smile.


	22. Searching

Saturday morning they met with a realtor Takumi had contacted. He told her, "we don't know what we're looking for, but we'll have a baby in less than a year. So can you show us a wide variety of things, and maybe it will give us more of an idea what to look for?"

The realtor put on a neutral face that made Eri afraid she was going refuse, but instead she asked, "what's the upper limit of your price range?"

Takumi gave her a number that made Eri whisper, "are you sure? That's more than half again what you're already paying?"

The realtor looked pleased.

Takumi grinned at Eri and said calmly, "I'm sure." But then he added a qualifier to the realtor, "but I need covered parking or at least storage for my motorcycle within three blocks."

The realtor asked, "do you want to start looking immediately at a couple of options or would you like to schedule a time to look at a variety of things?"

Takumi looked at Eri and raised his eyebrows. After a moment Eri asked, "could we do both? Since we only have a few hours until I work?"

They looked at two places that morning, one flat in a highrise with some similarities to Takumi's current apartment, but no tub. The other a duplex that made Takumi say, "this is similar to where my parents lived until my brother was born, but not as pretty I think. I don't remember it very well, but there are a lot of pictures of me there."

Eri said shyly, "I'd like to see pictures of you when you were little."

Takumi grinned and told her, "I'll ask my father to show you some. He'll tell you all the stories about my youth that I'd rather not have you hear too, I'll bet."

Eri asked hesitantly, "are we meeting your parents next week, like your mother asked?"

Takumi nodded and said, "if you're willing."

"OK," Eri agreed.

They told the realtor that a tub should be added to the list of requirements, and then Takumi took Eri to work.

She called him when her shift was half over and asked tearfully, "can you come pick me up?"

He got there so fast that she thought he must have broken some speed limits.

Anxiously he hugged her and asked, "what's wrong?"

"Sato-san asked me jokingly if you'd knocked me up yet," she gulped and sniffed before continuing, "and I guess it showed on my face, because apparently he told the manager I'm pregnant."

Takumi hugged her and said, "OK? So?"

"The manager called me in on my break and told me that he was giving me two weeks notice," Eri cried.

Takumi looked puzzled and said, "I don't think they can fire you for being pregnant."

"If they give notice they don't need a reason," she sniffled. And then she said a little angrily, "but it is because I'm pregnant. I pointed out that it won't even show for months and he said it doesn't matter, that I won't fit the image the business wants to present soon, so they are better off training a new person before summer!"

Takumi hugged her, and she said, "I'm sorry, I got mad and left, so I won't even have those other two weeks."

He looked at her seriously and said, "they obviously don't deserve to have you anyway."

"I can look for another job," she agreed.

"You don't have to," he pointed out.

She looked up at him and he said, "I'm serious Eri. I may be a bit, or even a lot, old fashioned, but I don't think you should have to work and deal with having a baby."

He kissed her gently and explained, "even with my parents, as crazy as they are, my mother took the last three months before we were born off, and my father took a year off after we were each born. And we all traveled together when she was on tour so that she could breastfeed in between concerts. I can remember a little of my brother's first year." He hugged her closer and said, "you don't have to work, and I don't really want you to."

Eri clung to him and asked unhappily, "so what will happen? Will you give me an allowance like a little kid? How will it work if I'm not working?"

He cuddled her against him and said, "I don't know, I'm willing to do it however you want, but instead of standing in the parking lot, why don't we go for something sweet and talk about it?"

She nodded and he bundled her up into her jacket and helmet and took her to the old Tea Gardens. She gazed out the big round windows and said, "it's beautiful."

He grinned at her and asked, "haven't you ever been here?"

She thought about it for a little while and said hesitantly, "maybe when I was very small? But I'm not sure."

He glanced out at the gardens and said, "I thought this was a standard dating spot."

Eri blushed and he said with a quick grin, "oh. I forgot my sweet innocent hasn't visited them all yet." Then he asked, "what about the viewpoint? The amusement park? The new aquarium?"

Eri looked down at their hands on the table and said, "Chisa and I go to the amusement park every summer, since we got old enough to take summer jobs."

"So you like it at least?" he asked.

She looked up at him and nodded. "I really like the roller coasters, at least, not so much the crowds."

"We should go before summer arrives while it's quieter," Takumi suggested. "My friend Sora and I used to go in the winter, we'd skip school for one day and go play."

Eri grinned at him, and he smiled at her affectionately.

After they had cakes and a pot of tea he asked, "do you want an annuity, or an allowance? Do you want to share accounts? What will make you most comfortable?"

"I have only a vague idea what an annuity is?" Eri said doubtfully.

"It's what rich men give wives they don't want to deal with. A yearly living basically," he told her with amusement.

Eri stared at him and he said, "an allowance would be more like a stay at home wife who keeps a household account, or a divorce with an alimony settlement I think."

Eri asked hesitantly, "what would you prefer?"

"Adding you to my accounts as though we're already married," he answered promptly.

"I still don't know if I want to marry you though," she objected.

He said gently, "I know, that's why I'm saying you should choose, instead of demanding you let me do what I want?"

She thought for a little while and then said uncertainly, "I think a household account sounds best, it sounds like something either of us could contribute to when we're working, and I still think maybe I should work a little at least during the summer?"

He lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips and said, "OK, let's do that."

Sunday they met the realtor again, and they viewed twelve different places before they finished in the early afternoon.

Takumi complimented the realtor on the wide variety. They had viewed everything from a houseboat, to an ultra modern programmable unit, to a traditional tatami style place.

Eri said unhappily, "I don't know, some of them are OK, but I'm not sure if we even learned what to look for?"

The realtor said cheerfully, "you both prefer a full kitchen, a river view, quiet areas, and natural wood. We've learned a lot I think. I'll try to find places with a tub and parking that match all or most of those criteria."

Eri stared at her in surprise and Takumi asked, "Eri, should we try to view more during the week or wait 'till next weekend?"

She looked up at him and replied uncertainly, "I don't know, I'm surprisingly tired. I definitely don't want to try to look at this many on school nights?"

He hugged her and told the realtor, "Friday afternoon?"

They set it up and then Takumi took Eri home to take a nap before they went to have dinner at her grandparent's place.


	23. Family

Eri's grandfather Yukito answered the door and invited them in when they arrived.

Moments later a man clattered down the stairs and scooped Eri up in a hug and twirled her around. She gasped in surprise and exclaimed gleefully, "Kyo-jii-san! You're back from France!"

"I am!" he agreed and kissed her before setting her down. Then he demanded, "now introduce me to this strange man!"

Eri blushed and introduced Takumi to her grandfather and second youngest uncle.

A few minutes later her grandmother came out of her workroom and was introduced as well. Then one of her older cousins arrived.

Eri introduced another cousin, her aunt, and her eldest uncle to Takumi as they came in, and whispered admiringly, "you're doing great."

Takumi grinned at her and hugged her closer and said quietly, "thanks, I keep thinking 'wow, so many people', but my family is just large really."

When her parents arrived, Miyuki asked them excitedly, "did you already tell them you're pregnant?"

Everyone went silent and Eri went scarlet and Takumi slid his arm around her waist and hugged her closer.

Her grandfather looked at her father and started to laugh. Minami told his wife, "I told you he was going to laugh."

Yukito didn't laugh himself sick though, instead after a few moments he stopped laughing, grinned at Eri instead and asked, "how far along?"

Eri flinched and replied hesitantly, "two weeks."

Kyohei glared at Takumi and asked, "why weren't you being careful with her!?"

"We were mostly careful," Eri objected, then asked unhappily, "and why are you blaming Takumi instead of me? It's probably my fault."

"It's not your fault," Takumi said quickly. When she looked at him doubtfully he kissed the tip of her nose and said, "and it's OK if your uncle blames me."

"Good, because I'm blaming you," Kei said as he walked in behind them.

Eri gasped and stared at her youngest uncle and complained, "that's not fair!"

"Why not? You didn't get pregnant by yourself," he pointed out.

"He didn't get me pregnant by himself either," Eri objected.

Kyohei grinned at Eri and ruffled her hair. He said cheerfully, "alright, nevermind who's fault, I brought you a postcard from France."

"Brought? Why didn't you just mail it?" she asked curiously.

"I don't think our post offices would handle this kind well," Kyohei said doubtfully. "But I thought that you and Yuki would love them." He handed Eri two cards and said, "since Yuki isn't here, pick the one you want and I'll send her the other one in an envelope."

Eri stared at the elaborately embroidered card in her hand. It was like a paper doll that had been embellished to the max. Metallic embroidery shimmered across the card edging flowers and other background elements, as well as the fabric dress that puffed out from the surface. The cheerful paper face of the doll reflected her smile as she gasped, "wow, this is amazing!"

She lifted the other one and compared them for a few moments. Then she glanced at Takumi and asked, "do you have any preference?"

Kyohei opened his mouth to object and Yukito kicked his foot and shook his head at his son.

Takumi grinned at her and shook his head. "Nope, they're both pretty. But you like the one with the green best don't you? You're going to hang it up at our place?"

Eri nodded, and Takumi's grin widened.

Kyohei said, "oh."

Kei asked with surprise, "your place?"

Miyuki told her little brothers proudly, "Takumi-kun already convinced her to look for a place and move in with him!"

Eri's cousin Shuhei looked at his aunt and objected, "oba-chan, aren't you supposed to be unhappy about it instead of proud of the guy?"

"Why?" Miyuki asked cheerfully.

Shuhei glanced at the rest of his family with embarrassment and muttered, "I don't know."

Eri said sympathetically just as her aunt Nana banged in through the door and straight for the bathroom, "it really seems like most mothers would complain doesn't it?"

"If you want a mother to complain about something, just give me a few minutes and I'll complain all you want!" Nana complained before she shut the door behind herself.

Kyohei looked up at his twin who followed his wife more sedately into the house and leapt up to take his youngest niece into his arms as his slightly older brother struggled with her and three bags. "Did you knock her up again already Tori?" he teased.

Torishi blushed and replied, "twins."

Kyohei said dryly, "apparently it's going around, even little Eri-chan is pregnant this spring."

Tori looked past his brother and stared at Eri in shock. She blushed.

They spent several hours with her family before Takumi took her home again.


	24. Heights of folly.

"Eri, what are you doing?" Takumi asked suddenly as Eri edged over to the balcony and slid the door open.

"Several of the places with nice views had balconies," she explained.

Anxiously he walked over and pulled her into his arms and said, "so? Does that mean you need to push yourself with something that scared you so much?"

"I'm really not afraid of heights Takumi, I've stood in lots of high places and been fine. And I love rollercoasters and things that twirl you through the air!" She looked at the balcony with apprehensive curiosity, and said, "I really have no idea why I got so scared, maybe it was just because I was already nervous?"

He hugged her against him and complained, "if you decide that you only ever agreed to have sex with me because of the suspension bridge effect, I'll cry Eri."

She gazed at him in surprise and then looked away and said with embarrassment, "even if I tried to claim that for the first time, I love having sex with you way too much to claim it matters anymore."

He sucked in a deep breath and ran his hands over her hips and asked, "now?"

"In a few minutes," she replied with a grin. "I want to try going on the balcony first."

He released her reluctantly and she hesitantly stepped onto the balcony. She gasped and he moved toward her, but stopped when she said, "give me a minute."

"It really is scary," she said with a white knuckled grip on the rail.

"So come in?" he asked plaintively.

Instead she edged a little farther out and leaned over the rail a little. Takumi watched her anxiously. She shivered and said, "it is a really pretty view though."

"It is," he agreed.

"I don't understand why it makes me so nervous," she complained.

"I have no idea Eri, but watching you is making me nervous, can you come back in?" He held his arms out toward her coaxingly.

"Don't help me," she said quickly. "I can do it, just give me a few minutes."

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly and stepped back away from the door a little.

She edged along the rail and then stood looking at the door for a moment. Then in a rush she transferred one hand from the rail to the door frame. She took a deep breath and transferred her other hand and stepped back inside. "I did it!" She declared proudly.

He scooped her into his lap and agreed, "you did." He kissed her and asked, "but please don't go out on the balcony when I'm not here. I don't know why it scares you, but I can tell it really scares you."

"Yeah," she agreed unhappily.

He kissed her again and started taking off her clothes. She laughed and wiggled out of his arms and turned out the lights before she let him continue.

Their week began peacefully enough and Eri even started to think that she was feeling pretty happy even though things were moving so fast.

They arranged in advance to have dinner with Takumi's parents and his little brother Thursday night. And Eri returned to her parents to work on packing her things a little after she finished her classes each afternoon, until Takumi finished work.

But Wednesday morning when Takumi wrapped his hands around her waist, she wriggled out of his grasp and dashed to the bathroom. She threw up miserably and complained when he leaned over her, "I hate being sick."

Surprised, he took her temperature and then said doubtfully, "I don't think you're sick Eri, I think it's just morning sickness?"

She stared at him in shock and denied it. "Onee-chan didn't start having morning sickness until she was six months pregnant!" Eri objected.

Hesitantly Takumi asked, "Eri, did you read all the pregnancy information the doctor gave us?"

Guiltily, she admitted, "no, I really haven't wanted to think about it. I'm not even a month pregnant though, most people don't even know they're pregnant at this point, so does it matter yet?"

He hugged her gently and replied, "I guess it's OK if you don't want to, but it said that morning sickness is most common in the first three months, even in the first couple of weeks. Because of all the changes and hormones your body starts making for the baby." He explained uncertainly.

She started to cry and he scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. She sobbed into his shoulder miserably and said, "I was just starting to feel happy about living together, it's like even my own body doesn't want to give me time to get used to it!"

He kissed her gently and said, "I'm sorry Eri."

After awhile she finished crying and they left.

That afternoon when he went to pick her up, her father told him, "they're at the hospital, they should be back soon I think."

Takumi paled and asked worriedly, "I told her I thought it was morning sickness, was she sick after all?"

Minami shrugged and told him, "Eri doesn't get sick very often, but she's a horrible patient when she does, I think you'll be able to tell the difference. She felt faint so her mother demanded she go in for an exam."

A very miserable Eri returned with her mother a while later. She saw Takumi waiting for her and walked straight over and crawled into his lap. He cuddled her worriedly.

"You were right," she told him miserably. "They said I'm already having morning sickness and it's even affecting my blood pressure already."

Takumi hugged her tightly and asked, "are you OK? What can I do?"

"I don't know," she said unhappily.

He bit his lip and thought while she cuddled against him. Finally he suggested, "it seems like it's time we find a doctor to take care of you already. How was the one you saw today?"

She just shrugged.

Minori told him comfortingly, "they suggested another appointment in six weeks, nothing urgent."

"OK," he said quietly.

When he took her home he laid her on the bed and asked, "do you want to cancel tomorrow?"

She gave him a puzzled look before remembering, and then she gasped and replied, "no, I don't want to cancel dinner on your family."

"It's not that big a deal, they'd understand," he said reassuringly.

Shyly she said, "I do sort of want to meet them though?"

"OK," he agreed with a grin for her.


	25. Overwhelming

Takumi took her to his parents place for dinner. She greeted his father with wide, startled eyes. He chuckled at her reaction and teased her, "I half expected you to look at my mother this way, what's so interesting about my father?"

"He looks just like you!" Eri exclaimed in a whisper.

Hikaru overheard her and told her with a smug grin, "I know, right? I'm so lucky both of my children took after their father." She elegantly folded herself up next to her husband at the table and grinned at Eri and declared, "my husband is still the sexiest man I've ever seen thirty years later!"

Eri blushed and nodded, while Takumi objected, "not exactly alike, I'm taller."

His little brother reached out and whapped his shoulder with an open hand while complaining, "you smug bastard, you may be taller, but at least I'm smarter than you are."

Takumi nodded seriously and agreed, "indeed, that's good, since you stopped growing too early."

Eri regarded Takeshi Shiori with wide eyes and he grinned at her and told his brother, "she's so cute, how did you meet her?"

"Pure luck," Takumi replied seriously.

"Do you have any sisters?" Shiori asked teasingly.

Eri blushed and replied, "just one, and she's already married."

Shiori pretended to pout and loaded up his plate cheerfully. Takumi teased him, "you'll get fat."

Shiori stuck out his tongue and replied, "I'm not the one who gets plump over winters. Worry about yourself. I'm starving."

Takumi blushed a little and said, "that reminds me, Eri would like to see pictures of when I was little."

Hikaru grinned and said, "you were so cute!"

Kiri looked at his eldest and said with a little surprise, "you're offering them to her instead of complaining if we show her?"

Takumi nodded and slid his arm around Eri's waist and kissed her lightly before replying, "I'll do anything that will make her feel a little better about the baby coming. Even let her laugh at my childhood pictures."

Shiori stared at his brother open mouthed and said, "oh my god! You are so freaking in love it's embarrassing!" Then he told Eri, "he cried and locked himself in his room for a week after I showed his first girlfriend his baby pictures!"

"I did not," Takumi objected.

"It was only for about two hours," Kiri interjected complacently.

Eri gazed at Takumi with startled eyes and he blushed. Hesitantly she offered, "if it's too embarrassing, I don't need to see?"

He kissed her gently and said calmly, "it's OK if it's you Eri."

She blushed deeply. After dinner Eri got to see lots of pictures of them when they were little. Takumi watched her a little anxiously and she said reassuringly, "you were very cute."

He cuddled her closer and whispered, "not as cute as you are," making her blush more.

When they curled up in his bed that night she whispered, "I'm really glad you introduced me to your family. I was nervous about it, but they all really love you a lot."

He kissed her and agreed, "yes, I'm pretty lucky, even though they all love to tease me."

"You were so cute," Eri said while grinning at him.

"And now?" he asked, while running his fingers over her hip.

"You're very sexy," she whispered seriously.

He made her moan and writhe beneath him.

She was sick again in the morning. And as if that wasn't enough, when they stepped into the hall they were greeted by the sight of Takumi's ex carrying a laundry basket.

Kasumi stared at them and asked unhappily, "she's already living with you?"

Takumi said harshly, "it's none of your business." And asked plaintively, "what the hell are you even doing here?"

Kasumi lifted her chin and declared, "I just moved in a couple doors down."

Eri shocked them both by saying suddenly, "I hope you'll really enjoy living here and stay for a long time.

Kasumi sputtered at her as she dragged Takumi away. In the elevator she whispered to him anxiously, "because we're moving out and I don't want her to follow us."

He hugged her tightly and murmured, "I love you Eri."


	26. Sunshine

The realtor only showed them three places that afternoon. Eri liked the first one, except that she thought the entry with it's open water feature might be dangerous for a baby. Takumi really liked the parking and the view at the second place. He liked it enough that Eri asked, "do you just want to take this one?"

He hesitated before replying, "let's wait and see."

The third one the realtor commented hesitantly, "I think you'll both really like this place, but it isn't very well set up for small children. It just became available though, so I thought we'd try it?"

It was on the hill above the river, near an elementary school. It had a covered parking space but not an enclosed one. The building it was in was very modern and well lit. It was on the upper floor, so it's hallway even had skylights.

When the realtor let them in Eri exclaimed, "wow!"

Takumi looked at the small modern kitchen beside the entry approvingly while Eri stepped down into the main room and went to stare out the windows which were lined with built in window seats.

The room was done in natural woods and the sunshine lit it warmly even with its mostly northern orientation.

Eri peeked into the bathroom and said, "oh my god, Takumi you will love this."

He looked in and agreed that the deep soaking tub for two bedside the windows was beautiful. A built in washer and dryer occupied the interior corner of the bathroom.

The only downside to the place was that instead of a second bedroom, it had a loft above it's master bedroom. Eri regarded it with such disappointment that Takumi asked, "you don't think we could make it work?"

Startled, she looked at him and asked, "would it be OK?"

"You really like this place don't you?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I love it," she agreed quickly. "But it's more than you're already paying, without as good a parking place, and the loft isn't as safe for children?" she pointed out uncertainly.

"The parking is good enough," he assured her, "and we could install baby gates couldn't we?" He pulled her close and kissed her before adding, "and the price really doesn't matter Eri, it's fine."

She looked at him doubtfully and he told her, "I love the tub and the kitchen, if you like it too, let's make this one work?"

Eri gazed into his face seriously for a few minutes before agreeing, "if you're sure?"

"I'm sure," he replied happily.

The building required a two year lease that made Eri worry again, but Takumi pointed out, "I think the baby will just barely be learning to walk by then, if it's not working out we can move again."

When they had everything signed and had received their keys and bid farewell to the realtor, Takumi hugged her tightly and asked, "want to?"

Eri blushed and said, "but there's no bed?"

Takumi grinned at her and said softly, "we could do it on the counter, on the window seats, in the bath?"

She gazed at him with open mouthed surprise that made him trace her lips with his fingertips and then use his tongue in her mouth.

She shivered and he asked again, "can we?"

After a moment she nodded and he lifted her onto the kitchen counter and pulled her pants down just enough to slide into her when he lifted her knees. She gasped in surprise and he came quickly and whispered, "sorry."

She wriggled a little and moaned, "I'm so close."

He thrust into her quickly before he softened and she came too. She hid her face against his shoulder in embarrassment and he cuddled her gently and told her, "I love you so much Eri. Let's go buy a new bed."

She gazed at him in surprise. After a few moments she asked, "why?"

He blushed and told her shyly, "I want to make everything here ours. A bed that only we have had sex in, dishes we choose together, everything?"

She blushed and asked uncertainly, "won't that be expensive?"

He agreed, "probably, but can we do it anyway?"

He made her come again, in his lap on the window seat, before she agreed, "OK, if you're sure."


	27. Shopping

That night in his bed after he collapsed beside her and ran his fingers through her damp hair she asked hesitantly, "what will we do with this bed?"

"Leave it here?" he suggested.

"That's so wasteful," Eri complained.

He kissed her wrists and said seriously, "whatever you want to do with it is fine Eri. Anything you want is fine."

Eri looked at him dubiously and asked, "anything?"

He grinned at her and replied confidently, "anything Eri."

"What if I tell you I want to have dinner in Paris tomorrow?" she asked challengingly.

"Do you have your passport?" he asked her seriously.

She looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head. He kissed her gently and said, "then you'll have to wait a couple of weeks."

"Takumi!" she protested.

He slid his hands around her waist and kissed her. "I'm completely serious Eri, even if you want dinner in Paris, I'll give it to you."

"That would really be too expensive," she complained.

He ran his hands down her back and grinned. He kissed her again and said, "then you shouldn't ask me for anything you don't really want."

She stared at him as he petted her and finally she said uncertainly, "I don't know if I really want to go to Paris or not. It might be really fun, or it might be scary."

He kissed her gently and said, "I really want to take you someday when you are comfortable with the idea and it'll just be fun."

"Have you been to Paris?" she asked with wide eyes.

Takumi nodded, and listed, "also to Germany, Italy, and the Alps. I kind of want to go to Venice next time I go to Europe."

She stared at him with such a shocked expression that he hugged her gently and reminded her, "I chose my job so I could go on the kind of vacations I wanted?"

Eri gulped and said, "when you said exotic vacations, I thought you meant like swimming on tropical islands, not touring europe?"

He grinned and said cheerfully, "I like doing that too."

She clung to him silently and after awhile he asked, "Eri? What's wrong?"

"Are we too different?" she asked unhappily.

"What? No!?" he exclaimed worriedly.

She cuddled against him and said anxiously, "but I've never been anywhere really, and I keep worrying that we're going to spend too much."

"So?" he asked. "I don't think you need to worry as much as you do, but it's not a bad thing that you're thinking ahead. And I'd love to take you places you haven't been."

"What if I don't like traveling?" she asked worriedly.

He rubbed her back and said, "it will be OK. We don't have to be the same Eri." He kissed her and said firmly, "and we are not too different to enjoy being together. I love you just like you are."

"I'm sorry," she said unhappily.

He sighed and asked, "are you apologizing again because you don't know if you love me or not?"

She nodded. His lips quirked with amusement and he said softly, "Eri, you're so cute. Don't worry, I'll keep waiting for you, take your time."

After a moment she agreed, "OK."

In the morning she was miserable. She had to rush back into the apartment after they left it, to throw up again.

Their elderly neighbor said sympathetically as she poked her head through their doorway inquisitively, "it used to take me the same way. And a cracker never did anything for me, but a honey lemon slice to suck on helped."

Eri stared at her and asked plaintively, "you can tell?"

The older woman chuckled and said cheerfully, "it gives you a certain look that you start to recognize after dealing with a few daughters and granddaughters."

Eri blushed and clung to Takumi shyly as they set out again.

They went to several furniture stores before Eri pointed at a bedroom set and said excitedly, "it's like a picture book!"

Takumi looked it over and agreed with amusement, "maybe something out of a european romance in a castle?"

Eri blushed and asked, "is it too strange?"

He looked at it more thoughtfully and said, "I'm not sure. I've never had a bed that was built as a confined space like that?"

She looked at it wistfully and said, "it's completely different, but sort of reminds me of the sleeping cubby at home."

He glanced down at her face and asked suddenly, "do you want to get it?"

She hesitated before answering, "not if you would feel confined?"

"Let's try laying on it for a little while," he suggested. He laughed as she climbed into it and teased her, "you'll need a step stool when you start to show, just to climb into the bed."

A sales person approached them and said cheerfully, "there's already a step built into both sides." He showed Takumi where it pulled out.

Takumi stretched out and pressed lightly against the foot of the bed with his feet before asking, "how sturdy is it?" Eri looked at him with wide eyes as he asked while smirking at her, "will it stand up to repetitive impacts?"

The sales person said stiffly, "it's extremely sturdy." When Takumi gave him a look and bounced against the footboard he blushed and declared, "the floor will give out first!"

He showed Takumi the construction illustrations and the way the framework for the drawers was worked into the footboard. Eri blushed every time either of them looked at her.

After a while Takumi shooed off the sales person and cuddled up with Eri on the bed for awhile. "Does it make you feel safe?" he asked softly.

She blinked at him in surprise and then nodded shyly. He kissed her and said, "OK, let's get this one then."

"Is it too soft?" she asked worriedly. "I think we could choose a different mattress if it's too soft?"

"It's not softer than your futon?" he pointed out.

"But it's much softer than your bed," Eri said.

He flopped back against it thoughtfully and said, "it's completely different from any bed I've ever had, but I don't think it's uncomfortable, let's just try it like this if you like it?"

"I like it," she admitted.

They ordered the full bedroom set, including matching wardrobes. And Takumi said cheerfully, "now we just need a couch and a dining set."

"Do we really need a dining set?" Eri asked dubiously. "Can't we use your table?"

"I guess we can, if you really want to," he replied hesitantly.

"It's not like you've had sex with other people on the table," she began but stopped when she saw his blush and asked incredulously, "seriously?"

Takumi shrugged and refused to meet her eyes.

Eri giggled and covered her mouth.

He glanced at her and she whispered, "I guess we already did it on the counter too?"

He grinned at her and nodded. She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss.

They chose a new table with a honey colored finish that matched their new floors. But they left choosing a couch for another day, when neither of them saw anything really cool and Takumi saw how tired Eri was getting.

Sunday Takumi borrowed his father's car, and Eri asked her uncle Kei to bring his car and help them move stuff.

They assembled the old bed up in the loft and left the little table at the apartment for the next resident.


	28. Sora

Takumi's phone went off and he set down the box he was carrying and answered it.

"Where are you? My key doesn't work?" Sora asked plaintively.

"What are you doing here, I mean there!?" Takumi exclaimed questioningly.

"Um, long story?" Sora replied uncomfortably.

"I just moved. I didn't tell you yet because we're still moving everything. Actually, I'm surprised your key doesn't work, I just turned mine in this morning," Takumi explained.

Sora almost visibly sorted through the information and asked, "we who?"

"My girlfriend, Eri, she's adorable, you'll love her," Takumi said enthusiastically.

"Who is it?" Eri asked from the bedroom door.

"My best friend," Takumi informed her cheerfully.

"Oh," she replied, feeling surprised, but when she thought about it, she hadn't really introduced Takumi to Chisa yet either.

Sora grinned and said, "so back to my original question, where are you?"

Takumi gave him the new address and Sora said he'd be there soon and ended the call.

Sora turned and headed back to the elevator. When it opened, Takumi's ex was standing in it, with a laundry basket.

"Kasumi-san," he greeted her warily.

Then he took in the basket and asked, "you're living here?"

She burst into tears and he wished he hadn't said anything.

She explained in a confusing and tearful fashion that she'd thought if Takumi just saw her more often he'd want her back, or at least that's how Sora translated what he could make out.

He said a little roughly, "why the hell would he ever take you back? Why would you even want him to? You said he was boring."

She sniveled, "I thought he was boring, but then I realized he would never have done anything like that to me, and I was wrong."

Sora regarded her with exasperation and told her, "then go find some nice guy who's not Takumi."

"No one nice wants me," she wailed. "Takumi didn't even look at me twice! And you hate me!"

He covered his eyes and said, "oh good gods, this kind of thing is why I don't like you, but I don't hate you. There's a ton of guys who would even put up with your annoying personality to have such a beautiful woman."

"You don't really think I'm beautiful, you're just saying that so I'll go away," she complained tearfully.

"I do wish you'd go away, but I've always thought you are beautiful," Sora told her honestly.

"Do me then," she demanded, "if you really think I'm beautiful, prove it!"

"Have you gone crazy?" he asked incredulously.

She said, "I knew you were lying."

After a long moment Sora said more calmly, "you're just upset, it's OK. You don't really want me to do you, when I don't even like you."

She reached out and unzipped his pants, then dropped to her knees.

After a moment, Sora called Takumi back on voice only and asked, "do you care if I fuck your ex?"

"I don't care, but you don't even like her?" Takumi said with surprise.

"No," Sora agreed, "but she's demanding it forcefully, so what the hell. I'll come visit later."

"OK," Takumi agreed bemusedly, and Sora ended the call.

Kasumi dragged him to her apartment two doors down from Takumi's old one and he muttered, "no wonder he moved out."

...

When they finished, Kasumi asked frantically, "you're leaving?"

Sora looked at her and asked, "what were you expecting?"

She burst into tears again.

Sora stared at her and asked, "what the hell happened to you? Why are you doing this? What did someone do to you?"

She just shook her head and sobbed.

After a minute, Sora called Takumi again and said, "something is wrong with her Takumi, I mean, I've always thought she's been annoying as hell, but I think something is really wrong with her. Do you still have her mother's number?"

Takumi reluctantly called Kasumi's mother and Sora waited until she'd arrived. He informed her that he thought someone had hurt her daughter, and that she needed help because she was hurting herself more. He left quickly with an apologetic mutter of, "I'm sorry, I just can't deal with her even when she's making sense."

Kasumi's mother watched him go regretfully and then settled herself to try to figure out what had happened to her daughter.


	29. Bitter Sweet

Takumi and Eri had just finished putting the few dishes Takumi owned away when Sora arrived. He'd wanted to get new dishes right away, but had given in quickly when Eri had asked tiredly, "can we do that another day?"

Takumi opened the door and demanded, "so why are you here?"

Eri watched Sora walk in with wide eyes and Sora grinned at Takumi and said, "I got fired, it really is a long story, so make me dinner? I was hoping you'd take a vacation with me."

"You got fired?" Takumi asked.

Sora grimaced at him and asked plaintively, "can you feed me before you question me?" Then he looked at Eri and said, "hi, you must be Eri-chan?"

Eri asked suddenly, "Takumi, is he the tall handsome man who's going to sweep you off your feet if I don't marry you?"

Sora laughed and looked at Takumi and said, "darling, you should have told me you were waiting for me!"

Takumi rolled his eyes and said, "just don't. No Eri, that was entirely a joke." He reached out and caressed her cheek. "This idiot is my childhood friend Konami Sora." Then he turned to Sora and said happily, "this is my girlfriend Mitsui Eri, and she's going to have my baby in about nine months."

Eri blushed and clung to Takumi.

Sora stared incredulously at his friend until Takumi blushed.

After a long moment Sora looked at Eri and said, "congratulations."

Eri burst into tears and Sora froze.

Takumi grimaced at him over Eri's head as he cuddled her.

Sora said helplessly, "apparently this is the effect I have on women today. I'm sorry."

Eri sniffled with embarrassment, "it's not your fault. Excuse me," and she pulled away from Takumi and dashed into their new bedroom.

Takumi said unhappily, "it's really not your fault. She doesn't want it. She only agreed to have it when I told her I want it." And very quietly he added, "and I'm worried because she seems to be doing her best to ignore it, except that she's having terrible morning sickness, and I don't know what to do. I want her to marry me, but she won't until she's sure she's in love with me."

Sora looked at him and said after a long moment, "OK, you don't have to make me dinner. Want me to order sushi?"

"Eri doesn't really like fish," Takumi told him helplessly. "I'll just make dinner if you'll go buy ingredients while I go cuddle Eri for awhile?"

"OK," Sora agreed and handed over his duffel. "Hot pot?" he suggested.

Takumi nodded.

"I'm sorry," Eri said miserably when Takumi curled up behind her on the new bed.

"I love you," he whispered. "I don't want you to be sorry. Can't you blame me instead of yourself sometimes? I'm the one who's sorry Eri, I'm making you miserable by greedily wanting everything."

She turned and gazed at him with startled eyes in a pale face. He kissed her and said, "Sora went grocery shopping for our dinner. Do you want to do it before he comes back?"

She blushed in a slow ripple across her skin and he kissed her gently. She opened her mouth for him and he took her invitation and explored her mouth with his tongue. After a moment she whispered, "the quick way? Just in case?"

It wasn't the quickest they'd done it, but she smiled at him affectionately when they finished about a quarter of an hour later and said, "I don't want to blame you Takumi. I think if I blame you then falling in love with you will only feel bitter?"

"Fall in love with me already," he demanded despairingly. "Even if it makes you feel bitter, I will feel ecstatic. I'm sorry Eri, I want you to fall in love with me even if it hurts."

"I want to, I'm sorry I'm so slow," she apologized again.

"It's OK," he said and sighed. "I get to sleep with you every night while you think about it. I'm really pretty damn happy already," he pointed out. "I'm just greedy for you."

She blushed and he said, "you are so freaking adorable." He kissed her again and helped her dress.

"Sora-san, are you a half?" Eri asked all of a sudden while they were eating.

She was afraid he was going be offended, but he just grinned at her and replied, "sort of? A quarter German and a quarter Korean. I used to get in trouble in school for dying my hair all the time."

Takumi snorted and said, "so of course he refused to ever dye it, even though it would have saved him several thousand laps."

Sora ran his hands through his hair that was copper streaked in the sunshine and said loftily, "and deprive the world of this?"

Eri giggled and he winked at her.

After dinner Sora asked her, "do you care if I take Takumi out drinking?" And then he corrected himself, "out for a drink. I mean without you," he stopped.

He covered his face and said, "I just mean take him out for a guys only evening." He looked at her unhappy face and said, "oh gods, I'm just digging this hole deeper." He reached over and clung to Takumi's sleeve and demanded, "save me?!"

Takumi shook him off and said seriously, "I'm not going anywhere unless Eri is really OK with it."

Sora stared at him with such a distressed expression that after a moment Eri giggled again. When he glanced at her hopefully she said, "I still have homework to do, you can go out for a while without me."

He gazed at her in surprise and asked uncomfortably, "are you still in highschool?"

She shook her head and explained, "second year in college."

He winced and asked hesitantly, "would you rather go drinking with us? I really wasn't trying to make you feel excluded."

She hesitated before replying, "but you do want to talk to him without me?"

Sora nodded.

"OK," she agreed.

She clung to Takumi when they were leaving and he asked again, "are you sure?"

"It's OK," she told him seriously.

He kissed her slowly and promised, "we'll be back in a couple of hours."

She nodded and he followed Sora out.

"She's sweet," Sora said while they waited for the taxi.

"She's mine," Takumi declared firmly.

Sora looked at him in surprise and asked, "when have I ever made a move on one of your girls?"

"I don't know, why did you suddenly do Kasumi?" Takumi asked unhappily.

"She started it, she was blowing me in the hall," Sora replied with embarrassment. After a moment he asked, "what the hell happened to her Takumi?"

"I don't have any idea," he replied uncomfortably.

"It makes me feel like I did something awful to her, even though it was all her idea," Sora complained.

Takumi said a little harshly, "after the way she left, I don't even really care if you did something awful to her on purpose."

After a moment Sora said, "harsh."

Takumi said uncomfortably, "I'm sorry, but I really don't."

"It's fine," Sora said comfortingly. After the taxi showed up and dropped them off at the bar, Sora said uncomfortably, "just one drink tonight."

Takumi looked at him curiously and asked, "why?"

Sora winced and explained, "I got fired because I went in to work still drunk from the night before, so I decided I should cut back."

Takumi looked at him with surprise and said, "just because you overdid it once doesn't mean you've developed a drinking problem?"

Sora grimaced at him and said, "don't make excuses for me Takumi. If you do, I'll believe you, even though I won't believe myself."

He looked at Takumi's dubious expression and said more gently, "you know I've always loved drinking?"

Takumi nodded and he continued, "without you always being there to say something when I'm doing too much, I really think I've been letting it become a habit. And it's not good for me, I don't want that kind of habit."

"OK," Takumi agreed after a moment.

Over their drink, Sora explained how he'd broken up with the woman he'd been living with and gotten drunk and gone to her wedding. "I looked around and realized I haven't even taken a vacation in two years and figured what the hell, and came to find you," he explained.

Takumi grimaced and said, "sorry, I really can't go with you right now."

"You could bring her with us?" Sora suggested.

Takumi shook his head and said seriously, "not yet, she's not ready."

After he swallowed the last drop Sora asked, "so how did you meet Eri-chan?"

Takumi grinned suddenly and said, "my father would tell you it was fate."

Sora raised his eyebrows at Takumi and said, "so you bumped into her on the street one day?"

Takumi laughed and replied, "just about. I ran into her while exiting the restaurant I'd just had dinner in. Her eyes darkened, her nipples hardened and her lips flushed just from looking at me, so I kissed her."

Sora looked at him sardonically and said, "you're seriously the only guy I know who would notice that kind of reaction in a girl you'd just met."

Takumi shook his head and said, "no, she's different. Everything shows on her face. She even blushes in waves that travel across her skin. She's so freaking adorable."

After a moment Sora asked uncomfortably, "should I get a hotel tonight?"

Takumi hesitated for a long moment before replying, "no, stay with us."

Sora glanced at him and said, "we're all grown up now, you don't have to keep insisting that your home is my home forever."

Takumi grinned at him and said, "but it is. It's only Eri that I'll never share with you."

Sora laughed and said, "OK, I hope she doesn't mind."

"I'll explain," Takumi said confidently.


	30. Slowly

Sora stayed with them for a week.

On Tuesday when Takumi was cooking for them again Sora asked Eri, "are you sure you really don't mind? I'm not sure what else I'd be doing, but I don't want to interfere."

Eri said shyly, "I don't mind, Takumi explained how he wants you to always feel like his home is your home, so I don't want you to feel like you have to stay away." She looked at Takumi and said teasingly, "besides, he's cooked for you everyday so far, so I'm getting spoiled by having you here."

"If you want him to cook for you everyday, just ask him to," Sora advised.

She shook her head and said, "he said he doesn't like to cook everyday."

Sora shook his head and insisted, "he really doesn't mind it. He made our lunches everyday during high school."

Eri gazed at him wide eyed and whispered, "didn't you get teased?"

Sora grinned at her and said, "Takumi as my wife was an ongoing joke, we were used to it and even used it to pick up girls."

He winked at her and said, "you should have heard the girls squeal when I kissed him. They loved it. Especially when we kissed them right after."

Eri stared at him in shock and Takumi rolled his eyes and said with exasperation as he set down the plate of food he was carrying, "stop teasing Eri."

"I'm only telling her the truth," Sora protested. "And you should cook for her everyday, she feels spoiled to have you cooking everyday."

Eri blushed and nodded when Takumi looked at her questioningly. "Alright," he agreed easily.

"But I don't want you to if you don't want to," she protested.

He sat beside her and kissed her for a long moment before saying seriously, "I don't mind if it makes you happier. Or what if we set a schedule, and you cook Monday, and Wednesday nights and I cook the rest, except for days we go out?"

Shyly she agreed, "I'd like that."

The next morning Sora picked up one of the honey lemons Takumi had made her and said with surprise, "he made you honey lemons?"

Eri blushed and asked shyly, "how can you tell?"

"He always puts in too much honey, he doesn't really like lemons," Sora whispered with a grin.

Takumi leaned over Eri's shoulder and asked, "what are you two whispering about?"

Eri blushed and Sora replied with a grin, "I'm just telling her all your secrets."

Takumi got home Thursday to find Eri and Sora giggling together in the living room. Sora looked up and grinned at him and said easily, "welcome home."

Eri looked up at him guiltily and Takumi was overcome by a wave of jealousy. He clenched his fists and walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Eri stared at the door in shock. Sora said ruefully, "maybe I should start looking for somewhere else to go."

Eri looked at him in alarm and asked, "why? He said he wants you here."

Sora looked at her and said uncomfortably, "in general sure, but maybe not when he's still trying to make you fall in love with him?"

Eri stood up and ran to the door and tried to open it. It wasn't locked and she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Takumi?" she asked anxiously.

"Don't look at me right now Eri," he begged her.

"Why?" she asked worriedly as she closed the door and hovered behind him anxiously.

"I am so jealous," he explained bitterly.

"What? Why?" she demanded.

He spun and clenched his fist in her hair and pulled her up hard against him. He gazed down into her shocked face and let her go and folded up miserably on the floor.

"Takumi?" she asked anxiously, hugging him against her where she knelt beside him.

"You've been laughing so much since Sora got here," he explained miserably. "And I can't stop thinking you'd be happier with him, that you're only stuck with me because I got you pregnant. I'm sorry Eri," he cried silent tears against her chest.

She stared at him helplessly. "Takumi, I think I must really love you," she said after a minute.

He gave a bitter laugh and said, "you don't have to say that Eri."

"I'm serious," she said anxiously. He looked up at her hesitantly and she said, "I'm not angry with you at all, and I wasn't even scared when you grabbed my hair, I'm just worried and I don't know how to make you happy right now. And I really want you to be happy Takumi. I think I must have been in love with you since I told you to just be happy enough for both of us, I just didn't realize it until I saw you cry. I'm really sorry Takumi," she said nervously.

He looked at her incredulously and asked hesitantly, "but you keep laughing with Sora, you already like him a lot."

"I do like him a lot," she agreed and protested, "but you wanted me to like him!"

Takumi buried his face against her shoulder and said miserably, "I want you to be happy too, even if it's not with me."

Eri sighed and said, "aren't you misunderstanding like some bad daytime drama Takumi? Do you even know what he talks about that makes me laugh so much?"

He shook his head without looking at her.

And she laughed, surprising him. "You, we talk about you all the time Takumi."

He looked at her then and she smiled shyly at him and hesitantly kissed him. "I love you, I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out?" she whispered.

He buried his fingers in her hair and kissed her roughly and said, "I'm not going to let you take it back!"

"I won't," she promised.

"I want to fuck you like crazy," he whispered.

"OK," she agreed with a slow blush.

"I'm not going to be quiet," he warned her, scooping her into his arms and lifting her onto the bed.

"OK," she agreed again and started unbuttoning his shirt.

He didn't hold back at all and he made her come again and again until she begged him, "stop Takumi, please?"

He reluctantly released her and she lay gasping where she'd fallen. His lips curved affectionately as he watched her catch her breath and he said, "I love being able to do this to you."

She stuck out her tongue and said wryly, "yes, it's very nice, I'm sure when I'm old I'll regret that you can't do it anymore, but right now I'm really looking forward to when you get tired first?"

She sighed and relaxed as he stroked her hair. Her eyes closed and didn't open again. He smirked and gently tucked her into their bed.

Sora blushed when Takumi walked out of the bedroom and asked hesitantly, "I wasn't sure if I ought to go get a hotel room for tonight. I went ahead and scheduled three weeks of tropical vacation, I'll leave Saturday."

Takumi said unhappily, "Sora, I don't want you to feel like you can't stay."

Sora grinned at him and said, "don't worry about it."

"Are you sure," Takumi asked hesitantly.

"Would you want to sit around my apartment while I made my girlfriend moan and cry my name over and over?" Sora asked wryly.

Takumi blushed and shook his head.

"I'm thinking of moving back here when I get back though, so you might have me around a lot?" Sora warned him seriously.

Takumi grinned and said, "that would be good. I've missed you, and hopefully Eri and I will be settling in more comfortably by the time you get back."

Sora shrugged and said, "it's fine if you aren't. She seems worth the time she needs to get used to you?"

"She is," Takumi replied firmly.


	31. Future

Friday they bought dishes with Sora in tow. Eri giggled and teased Takumi, "you secretly wanted to buy dishes with your high-school husband didn't you?"

Takumi turned to Sora and told him, "go away!"

Sora just grinned at him and said, "these flowers are pretty and match your eyes."

Eri agreed, "they really do!"

Takumi covered his face and complained, "if the two of you gang up on me I'll never win."

Eri asked Takumi curiously, "what kind of dishes do you want to win?"

He looked at her seriously and said, "the kind you'll use with me in twenty years."

She bit her lip and said uncomfortably, "I never imagined I'd be saying this, but maybe we should be looking at more expensive higher-quality dishes if you want them to last twenty years?"

Takumi stared at her and Sora suggested, "why don't you let me buy them if what you want is too expensive for you right now?"

Takumi glared at him and said, "I can afford dishes."

Sora looked at him and asked seriously, "both good dishes and a 20k keyboard?"

"What?" Takumi asked blankly.

Eri blushed and said, "I haven't told him about it yet."

Takumi looked at her with such a hurt expression that she apologized and said anxiously, "you knew I was saving for it, we just haven't talked about it?"

Takumi winced and apologized, "I'm sorry, it's not your fault. I should have asked, especially since you're not working right now." He took a deep breath and then asked uncertainly, "what kind of a keyboard costs 20k?"

She blushed deeply and said, "I know with that price it sounds like it should be able to do anything, but all it does is mimic a real piano almost perfectly. So well that it's not even detectable in recordings. I've really wanted one for years, and I thought that this year I'd finally be able to afford it. But now I'm pregnant, and I don't know if I should, even if I can."

"You should," he said decisively.

Sora nodded and repeated his offer, "and you can let me buy you dishes as an early wedding present."

Eri paled and Takumi asked anxiously, "you said you were waiting until you were sure you loved me, are you still not sure Eri?"

She clung to him and said unhappily, "I'm sure I love you now Takumi, but I'm not sure I'm ready to get married right away? Do we really have to do everything so fast?"

Takumi looked at her for a moment and then took a deep breath and said, "no. I'd still really like to get married before the baby arrives, but we don't have to hurry."

Sora looked at him in surprise and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're finally growing up," he teased his friend gently.

Takumi pouted at him briefly and then said uncomfortably, "I've heard it works better if you do that before you have kids."

Eri hugged Takumi and said shyly, "you'll be a great father Takumi, don't worry, I'm the one who's scared of becoming a parent."

He caressed her cheek and then kissed her. "We'll be fine," he whispered reassuringly.

Sora browsed tea cups until they recalled his presence. Eventually they settled on a set of expensive composite dishes in a traditional painted pattern of mist clouded green lakes with little red hummingbirds.

Eri grinned as she watched Takumi wash and put them away with a contented expression.

Sora leaned over and whispered to her, "I'm pretty sure he'll look even more contented when he's wearing your wedding ring?"

Eri gazed into Sora's face for so long that Takumi noticed and growled, "seriously go away Sora!"

Eri objected, "Takumi!"

He walked over and scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom, calling back over his shoulder, "you're not allowed to look at her again until breakfast!"

Eri blushed like fire and Sora agreed cheerfully, "I don't mind having breakfast with a pretty girl."

Takumi slammed the bedroom door, making Eri wince until he grinned at her. She relaxed under his smile and he kissed her gently from head to toe.


	32. Time keeps ticking.

Takumi apologized again when Sora left. "I'm sorry," he said miserably, "I know I've been acting unreasonable, and even though I keep telling you to go away, I don't want you to feel like you really need to leave." He added after a moment, "even though I think I should be thanking you for giving us some room right now."

Sora laughed and hugged him suddenly. "Takumi, you idiot. Someday I'm going to have a cute wife and make you feel embarrassed to watch us kissing."

"I hope so," Takumi agreed.

"I'm glad you found Eri-chan, and you were right, I adore her, so convince her to marry you quickly and invite me back for your wedding?" Sora said with a grin.

"I intend to," Takumi said seriously.

Sora grinned and hugged him again before climbing into his taxi.

When he got back to the apartment Eri asked anxiously, "are you OK?"

He kissed her gently and said teasingly, "I will be as soon as you agree to marry me?"

She blushed and said uncomfortably, "I only just figured out that I'm already in love with you."

"I know," he replied gently. "But I might get really annoying and start asking you to marry me every morning?"

"On your knees with a ring, while I throw up?" she asked wryly.

"Do you think it would be more convincing?" he asked thoughtfully.

She shook her head and suggested boldly, "why don't you take me to the coast on your motorcycle and ask me in front of the sunset like in a romance?"

His eyes lit up and he said, "I will."

She eyed him nervously and said, "but not tonight?"

"OK," he agreed, but promised, "soon though."

Eri cheerfully made waffles for breakfast on Sunday, since she could do it late enough in the morning that it didn't trigger her morning sickness. They were able to buy a waffle iron to keep around with a larger kitchen and it was something simple she could make without feeling shy about how it looked.

Takumi kissed her and said, "I seriously need you to marry me. How will I survive if you get tired of me and run off?"

Eri blushed and protested, "Takumi!"

"Do you think I'm exaggerating?" he asked unhappily.

She hesitated, but then nodded. "Yes, you cook better than I do, you've been with dozens of other women, there's nothing I can do for you that you can't replace," she explained a little anxiously.

He stared at her and ran his fingers through his hair and complained, "I knew telling you about my dating history was a bad idea." She gazed at him in shock and shook her head and he said bitterly, "if you thought you were the only woman I've ever touched, you wouldn't be so quick to imagine I can ever replace you. I can't replace you Eri."

She gazed at him uncertainly and he dropped to his knees and buried his face in her stomach before turning his face up to look at her.

"There's no one else in the entire world like you!" he declared. "I'll keep begging you to marry me until you give in. And after we're married, if I have to, I'll beg you a hundred thousand times to never leave me Eri. Please marry me soon," he asked again.

A slow blush rippled across her skin, all the way out to her fingertips, and her eyes darkened and her lips parted, as she gazed down into his face.

His breath caught as he watched her and he didn't breathe again until she finally whispered, "OK."

When she saw how happy he was she reluctantly warned him, "but Takumi, if we're going to get married, I still don't want to rush everything."

He looked at her anxiously and she blushed and told him shyly, "I only ever want to get married once, so I want to do it for real, not just have the paperwork?"

He scooped her up and kissed her gently and agreed, "OK Eri, we can do it however you'd like."

He carried her into the bedroom and she complained, "the waffles will get cold." He pouted at her and she giggled and whispered, "I guess I can make more."

He made sure she didn't care about wasting food and after they finished he made whipped cream and fresh strawberry syrup, then toasted the cold waffles in the oven and served them to her with decorative drizzles.

She ate them happily but warned him as she watched him eat his serving, "if you keep this up you're going to have to cook all the time even if you hate it."

He glanced up at her with a grin and said complacently, "I love your cooking, these are delicious even reheated."


	33. News

Eri sat miserably through her first class on Monday. Once her bout of morning sickness had passed, she was starving. When it finally ended she ran to the vending machine and bought a flavored milk.

When she and Chisa had lunch together her uncle approached them hesitantly and asked nervously, "can I join you?"

Eri stared up at him, shocked by his uncertainty and Chisa blushed scarlet and grabbed the edge of his sleeve before he could withdraw. She stared at the table and whispered, "please stay." She looked up at Eri and begged quickly, "please tell him to eat with us Eri!"

Eri gulped and said quickly, "of course!" After a minute she asked worriedly, "why do you even need my permission?"

Her uncle and Chisa both blushed and neither of them looked at the other. After a minute Kei said uncomfortably, "I'm the one who told you not to treat me casually at school. And Chisa is your best friend and I know that things are already stressful for you right now Eri, and I don't want to interfere between you."

Eri stared at him and Chisa blushed and nodded in agreement.

After a minute he looked up and met her eyes and Eri blushed and looked away. "Just eat," she demanded. "Watching both of you be embarrassed about dating is more embarrassing than the idea of you dating."

"We're not actually dating yet," Kei complained.

Eri looked back at Chisa in open mouthed surprise. Chisa blushed again and looked away from both of them. She explained very quietly, "I really love him Eri, I've always been in love with him, so I want to wait until we're done with his class until we start dating."

"I'm probably lucky she isn't demanding we wait until after she's finished with her degree," Kei told his niece with embarrassment.

Eri started to cry and they both leapt to their feet in alarm. Embarrassed, Kei hung back and let Chisa rush to Eri's side and hug her.

"Do you hate it?" Chisa asked anxiously while Kei watched worriedly.

"I'm really happy for you," Eri sobbed and explained confusingly, "I already agreed to marry Takumi."

After a moment Chisa asked worriedly, "do you not want to? You don't have to?"

Eri scrubbed at her tears and her uncle offered her a clean napkin, which she blew her nose into before answering. "I think I want to. I realized I really love him after I made him cry and I realized I never want to make him cry again. But I really wish I wasn't pregnant so that we could do everything slowly like that," she explained miserably.

Uncertainly Chisa suggested, "you can tell him you want to wait even though you're pregnant?"

Kei agreed seriously, "if he loves you he'll wait until you're ready."

"I know he would wait for me, even though he gets impatient," Eri assured them unhappily. "But he wants to get married before the baby is born, and if we're getting married before it's born, I'd kind of like to do it before I get huge like onee-chan."

Chisa hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek and looked at Kei with a worried expression.

He shrugged helplessly and asked, "is there anything we can do Eri?"

Chisa looked at him and then asked Eri quickly, "do you want to have a double wedding?"

Eri laughed as tears poured down her face and said, "no!" She glared at them both and said, "I definitely don't want you two to hurry!"

After a little bit she managed to stop crying and complained, "this is so embarrassing."

"Who cares?!" Kei demanded.

Eri looked around and then looked at him and suggested, "you'll care if you're late for your own class?"

He bent and hugged her for a minute. "I won't," he promised.

She rolled her eyes at him and said unhappily, "this baby isn't going anywhere, I can complain about it later, go. I'll flunk if I lose any more points in my classes, even if Chisa won't."

He looked at her for a moment and suggested seriously, "you could quit school."

Eri stared at him and then exclaimed, "oh my god, are you really a teacher? What kind of teacher suggests that kind of thing?"

He kissed her cheek and said said seriously, "one whose niece hates school and is already under more stress than she can stand."

Chisa hugged her from the other side and agreed, "especially if you're going to get married and stay at home with the baby. You already said he wants to support you, and maybe you'd really like being a housewife? You could try it anyway?"

Eri shrugged and said plaintively, "I think I should at least try to finish this semester?"

"OK," Chisa agreed and dragged her off to her next class, before going on to her own.


	34. Sunset

Takumi looked at her face when he got home and dropped his work things at the door. He rushed over to her and demanded, "what's wrong? Why have you been crying?"

She stared up at him and then laughed. He dropped to his knees beside her and asked worriedly, "Eri?"

She leaned against him and said laughingly, "I wouldn't believe you could really tell if you hadn't explained how you could even tell that I wanted you right when we met."

He hugged her against him and asked unhappily, "are you afraid to tell me why you've been crying? I told you I want to be here when you need to cry."

"I love you Takumi," she said suddenly.

"Me too, I love you too," he replied quickly.

She sighed and cuddled into him. He hugged her gently and caressed her until she finally admitted after a while, "I still wish I wasn't pregnant. My uncle and Chisa even suggested I could quit school today when I cried during our lunch."

His grip on her tightened and after a minute he asked miserably, "do you want to get rid of it so you can stay in school and keep doing everything you want to? It's not too late yet."

She stared at him in shock.

He caressed her face and said, "I really love you Eri, I want you to be happy. If you really can't stand to have this baby, it's OK." He swallowed and couldn't stop the tears that formed at the corners of his eyes.

"Don't cry Takumi," she begged him. "I don't want to get rid of our baby."

He looked at her doubtfully and she said, "I really don't, I swear it, I just wish I could have a few years with you first. But I can't, so sometimes it's going to make me cry, I'm sorry, but don't cry please?" She kissed the tears at the corners of his eyes and looked at him anxiously.

He gave a little laugh and said, "how unfair, telling me you're going to keep crying and asking me not to cry?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized unhappily.

He took a shuddering breath and then promised, "I'll try Eri."

"I really love you," she said again.

He kissed her and she clung to him and opened her mouth inviting him deeper.

He made love to her on the floor, gently and simply, the way she liked best.

Afterward she kissed him and kissed him again until he laughed and whispered, "I believe you Eri."

"I love you so much, how did I not realize it?" she asked.

He grinned at her and said teasingly, "maybe you were distracted by the sex?"

She blushed from head to toe and he whispered, "you're so freaking cute I could die."

She looked at him and told him seriously, "you'd better not die if the baby and I are going to be relying on you to take care of us."

He blinked at her and replied quickly, "I'll call my brother and ask him how to set things up so that you'll both be taken care of even if anything does ever happen to me Eri. I've never done it before, but I know that it's possible, and I know the place he works deals with marriage contracts sometimes."

She stared at him anxiously and said, "I'd really rather you not die?"

He laughed and agreed, "me too. I want to spend a whole lifetime with you. But I don't want you to suffer if I can't. I promised I'll take good care of you, and I meant it."

She gazed at him silently for so long that he leaned in and kissed her and said comfortingly, "my health is fine, and I think I'm a careful driver?"

She blushed again and said, "I think there must be a million girls who hate me for worrying about having your baby right now."

"What?!" he exclaimed with astonishment.

She replied half teasingly, "a stunningly handsome man who sweeps them off their feet and takes responsibility for all the consequences?"

He kissed her fingers and said, "I wish technology were a little more advanced and I really could take all the consequences Eri. I wish we could keep the baby and you didn't have to deal with being pregnant or sick every morning, and you could take your time and do whatever you wanted."

She leaned and kissed him. "I'll get used to it, I promise. It'll just take me awhile because I'm slow."

"You're not slow," he scolded gently.

She looked at him dubiously and he he said calmly, "you're just a control freak."

She gasped and stared at him.

He teased her, "you didn't know? You even like to be on top and prevent me from using my hands when we're having sex."

She blushed and protested, "I don't try to control you!"

"No," he agreed, "but you can if it'll make you happier, I don't mind if my wife is demanding."

"Takumi!" she protested.

He kissed her and said, "I'm only half joking Eri, as far as I can tell, the only things that make you cry are the ones you can't control. And I wish you would be more demanding if there's anything I can do to make you happier."

She looked at him challengingly and asked, "even if I tell you I want five thousand so I can go ahead and order the 20k keyboard now?"

He laughed and said, "that's not even a challenge Eri, I'd love to, let's do it right now."

"Takumi," she said breathlessly.

He grinned at her and said, "but between that, and our deposits here, and the rest of the furniture I want to get, I'm afraid Paris will have to wait another month, OK?"

She covered her face and complained, "I wish I'd never brought it up, I really don't know if I ever want to go."

He kissed her gently and said, "that's OK too, I don't mind if you never do."

He pulled on his clothes and helped her dress and said, "let's order your keyboard now."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he replied seriously.

They drove to the coast and watched the sunset the night he coaxed her into ordering wedding rings.


	35. Together

They got a couch that rocked, and Eri complained, "I thought you chose this so that you could rock the baby when it arrives?"

Takumi gripped her hips tightly and said teasingly as her hips rocked into his, "I'm really enjoying rocking the baby like this already?"

"Takumi," she protested breathlessly.

"I'll rock you like this when the baby's asleep even after it comes," he promised as he panted against her skin and tilted her body back until he could get his mouth onto her nipple.

She moaned, "Takumi," again as she came and her fingers tangled in his hair as he rocked into her again until he finished and pulled her up tight against his chest and kissed her mouth.

"I love playing with you while you're pregnant," he told her smugly after he'd caught his breath again. "Should we have several kids?"

Eri blushed and said anxiously, "I don't think that's a good reason to have more children."

He tilted her body back against his arms and sucked on her other nipple until she tightened on him again. As soon as he hardened again he rocked into her, making her come again. "You'll have to go on birth control or get your tubes tied as soon as this one arrives, if you don't want more," he warned her breathlessly. "I love making you come and coming inside you, and I don't plan to ever stop now that we've started."

Sometimes when Eri played her new keyboard on the window seats in the sunshine, Takumi would sing a little for her. It made her shiver with desire before he even touched her, and one afternoon he asked teasingly, "should I sing to you while you're naked so that I can watch you get wet?"

He was startled when she begged, "please do anything you want to me while you're singing Takumi. I really love your voice." She bit her lip and told him, "I don't want to make you unhappy, but I really want to be allowed to ask you to sing for me sometimes."

He looked at her for a moment and agreed hesitantly, "OK, you can ask me to sing when it's just us."

Anxiously she asked, "are you sure?"

He grinned and trailed a fingertip through her curls and whispered, "it's OK if it's you Eri."


	36. After

Eri accepted very shyly when Mirage's second lead singer asked her to dance. She thought guiltily that she must be the envy of a million other fan girls.

He grinned at her and told her, "I'm so envious."

She stared at him in shock.

He lead her to the floor and explained, "Takumi has told me enough that I know you didn't want your baby at first, and I never regretted not getting married or having many lovers, but now that I'm getting old, I kind of regret that I never had children of my own."

"You don't have to get married to have children," she objected, and then blushed.

He guided her into the dance and grinned at her. Teasingly he said, "I think finding someone to knock me up would have gotten a little complicated."

Her blush deepened. "I didn't mean like that, there are other options." She looked at him and suggested, "you could even still adopt."

"At my age?" he asked laughing.

"If you really wanted to," she said surprisingly firmly.

He looked at her with surprise as they dodged another more enthusiastic couple.

After a moment she continued, "I've thought about it a lot, what happens to children who aren't wanted. When I was younger I worried about what would have happened to my sister if my parents hadn't wanted her, when I got old enough to understand that my mother wasn't her biological mother and that her mother hadn't wanted her. And then since this," she looked at her belly, "about what would happen if Takumi changed his mind about wanting us."

"Takumi won't change his mind," he said reassuringly.

She blushed again and said, "well, I don't think so anymore, but I barely knew him." Then she said, "but any child you claim would be have more than a temporary home, even if you only live to be 80."

"I think I'm too wrapped up in music, to make sure a child felt loved," he said ruefully.

Eri pondered for a moment and suggested, "there's no reason you'd have to choose a child at random, I'm sure there are older ones that love music like you do." Then she blushed and said, "I'm not trying to tell you that you should or anything, only that you could if you really wanted to."

He kissed her cheek suddenly and said, "and now I'm even more envious, of Takumi. Take care of that brat please."

Eri blushed and nodded, and he leaned in and whispered, "and if he ever stupidly let's go of you, you can run to me." Eri gasped, and he winked at her.


	37. Word

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this down kind of quickly, mostly in swipe typing on my phone while I recovered from my latest surgery. I kind of hurried through it when I realized it's easier to write about Sora and Mizuki who come after most of this. I didn't realize until I started writing it down that most of this dream of pregnancy is sex. I mean, yes, logically sex and pregnancy are connected, but... ok, when I started imagining this I must have really wanted to have sex.
> 
> Plus, in some ways I've had an awesome life. This feels sort of like a compressed log of the sex I had while married? :P

Sordid Reality, Episode 1:

I would bet that any psychologist would call this story wish fulfillment. A partner who deals with it and puts his whole life into moving forward? You should probably stop reading here if you are easily offended or would rather not hear too many details.

The second person I slept with was my roommate on kind of a friend's with benefits status. When our next rent came due, he stole money to pay it. I talked him into returning it and paid his share as well as mine. He got fired anyway.

When I turned up pregnant, he said, "it's because we didn't use condoms all the time." I was shocked. I'd thought we'd used them all the time. But he admitted he only had one condom the first night we spent together and just pretended to open the packet again. He thought my protests that I'd had no idea were fake because the difference in feeling should have been obvious.

Years later, with more experience, I'd be able to tell. The second time I'd had sex, I had no idea.

When I told him that I didn't think I could deal with having a baby at the time, he was so relieved and told me how glad he was that I didn't plan on keeping it. I didn't make the final decision right away. I traveled to my previous residential area and discussed it with the doctor I'd seen for several years there, because I felt like the people at the clinic in my new area were treating me very peremptorily.

In the meantime I got fired. Because I was young and stupid, and when I slept through my alarm one morning, I admitted to my supervisors (who called me in and threatened to fire me, even though other people had worked there for years and were late every other day) that I thought I'd slept through the alarm because I was pregnant and hadn't learned to compensate. They fired me on the spot and told me I couldn't fight it because they were putting tardiness as the reason in the paperwork.

It was kind of the last straw. One of my parents was between jobs, the other one had only been employed again for a month. In hindsight, there were other friends and extended family who'd have helped, but I didn't ask. I just made my final decision, although I waited to be sure as long as the doctor had recommended.

Pregnant women are not emotionally stable. It messes with you. It was the first time in my life I'd ever considered suicide.

My partner said we'd split it. I didn't have any expectations, so was unsurprised when I had to pay for everything involved. I wasn't surprised when the nurses lectured me sternly and told me I'd regret it for the rest of my life. But I was shocked when they were performing the procedure and the nurse slapped me and told me I'd come in so far along that it wasn't legal. That I was at least three months further along than I should have been.

That meant it would have been from my first real love. But… not only was it too late, it might have been better not to have guessed that anyway. When I told my doctor about the experience later he swore and told me that he'd checked me carefully and that what they said couldn't have been possible. And also that he'd never recommend that clinic to another patient.

Was it the right decision? I don't know. Was it the wrong decision? I still don't think so, even though I do regret that I wasn't able to have a child with my husband later. And when I developed a life threatening brain condition a few years later, I'd already made my choice to survive, even if it costs.

Have I considered suicide again in my life? Yes. When I was stuck in bed, slowly going blind, with a husband who couldn't deal with my illness, to the point that he couldn't even say hi once a day, but didn't want to admit it and let go. Much more often I've wished not to be alive. A huge chasm between that and wanting to die, that even most psychologists who work with potentially terminal patients can't seem to grasp. If this condition is hereditary (which it is sometimes, but not always), how can I regret not subjecting another soul to it?

One of the psychologists I've visited, asked if I'd ever considered that I was suffering all this so I could help other people. She said she found my determination and outlook amazing. No, I've never thought that. I'm just surviving. But I'll write this out, in case. Because I think if you can still laugh, at anything, anything at all, you're not done yet.

Love and peace. Out.


End file.
